Session
Constellations
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
The growth of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is increasing collision risk and challenging the sustainability of space operations, while current ground‑based radars remain limited in sensitivity, coverage and update rates especially for small objects. This paper presents DANTE (Detection ANd Tracking of space dEbris), a spaceborne radar constellation concept designed to enhance debris detection, tracking and orbit refinement directly from LEO. DANTE employs multiple low‑cost satellites equipped with X‑band phased‑array radars operating in two modes: a Tracking Mode for trajectory refinement of known objects and a Beam‑Park/Electronic Fence Mode for debris discovery. Performance analyses indicate sub‑meter resolution in tracking mode and effective detection of small debris in discovery mode. The mission study shows that a scalable multi‑ring constellation can achieve global debris coverage. DANTE offers a viable path to improving space situational awareness in congested orbital environments leveraging on smallsat SAR heritage and a design‑to‑cost approach.
Document Type
Event
DANTE: A Spaceborne Radar Constellation for Debris Detection and Tracking
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
The growth of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is increasing collision risk and challenging the sustainability of space operations, while current ground‑based radars remain limited in sensitivity, coverage and update rates especially for small objects. This paper presents DANTE (Detection ANd Tracking of space dEbris), a spaceborne radar constellation concept designed to enhance debris detection, tracking and orbit refinement directly from LEO. DANTE employs multiple low‑cost satellites equipped with X‑band phased‑array radars operating in two modes: a Tracking Mode for trajectory refinement of known objects and a Beam‑Park/Electronic Fence Mode for debris discovery. Performance analyses indicate sub‑meter resolution in tracking mode and effective detection of small debris in discovery mode. The mission study shows that a scalable multi‑ring constellation can achieve global debris coverage. DANTE offers a viable path to improving space situational awareness in congested orbital environments leveraging on smallsat SAR heritage and a design‑to‑cost approach.
