A robust pointing recalibration method for optical satellite tracking applications

This paper presents the integration and experimental evaluation of a robust pointing recalibration algorithm for improved pointing performance of a portable telescope system to enable high-accuracy tracking of satellites and space debris, despite structural and environmental changes. A spherical harmonic pointing model is periodically updated throughout the observation period, using a batch optimization method, combined with a quadrant-random pointing grid. Instead of deteriorating by a factor of 3 over several hours for conventional operation, the proposed method preserves the accuracy of the initial model. Optical tracking experiments of Low Earth Orbit satellites indicate the proposed pointing recalibration improves the mean tracking error by a factor of up to 7.