ESTIMATION OF THE LOW-EARTH-ORBIT SPACE OBJECT POPULATION USING A NONVERTICAL STARING RADAR

To estimate the low Earth orbit space object population measurements h ave been taken using the Haystack radar in a staring mode. The radar h as been used in a vertical staring mode, and a non-vertical mode at se veral elevation angles pointed due South. Haystack is a monopulse rada r, consequently it measures range and direction of motion. On each of the objects in the small sample of the total population which pass thr ough the beam the radar cross section (RCS) and orbital elements are e stimated. Developed in this paper is an algorithm for estimating the l ow Earth orbit space object population and distribution from measureme nts which pass through a radar beam such as Haystack. The algorithm de pends on the range, inclination and radar cross section of each object passing through the radar beam, and does not depend on any previous e stimates of the population distribution, such as the U.S. Space Comman d (USSPACECOM) Data Base. In an earlier paper the algorithm was develo ped for the radar in the vertical mode. In this paper that work is ext ended to the non-vertical mode.