Research on the Laser Ranging of Runaway Space Objects

With the increase in human space activities, there is a significant amount of space debris as well as defunct satellites that seriously threaten the safety of spacecraft in their orbits. The laser ranging technique is one of the most accurate methods of ground-based space target observation. Therefore, it is very meaningful to study efficient tracking and observation methods for defunct satellites and space debris. In this paper, time bias, which is in advance of the actual observation, was added by analyzing the deviation of the orbit prediction such as the time bias and range bias of the runaway space objects. A new method was used for the determination of the TB and RB in real-time tracking and in data processing. The data produced from the observation of the out-of-control targets, such as the Topex satellite and CZ-2C Long March Launch Vehicle, were presented and analyzed. Taking the laser ranging data of the Topex satellite obtained on 19 November 2019, as an example, the result of the first observation circle provided the initial time bias value for the second observation circle, proving that the laser ranging method for runaway space objects is effective. The results of this paper can effectively improve the acquisition efficiency of the defunct satellites.