Spacecraft in-orbit risk assessment

The density of space objects is steadily increasing especially in Low Earth Orbit where the sink term represented by the atmospheric drag is not efficient enough to counter-balance the source terms (new launches and in-orbit explosions). Even if the associated probability is still very low, the collision is likely to be catastrophic for the space asset due to the high relative velocity between the two objects and generates a bunch of fragments which can be very damaging for other space objects. It is therefore necessary to avoid as much as possible, collisions of controlled space assets with uncontrolled or controlled (less likely) space objects.

Detection of collision risk

Corona Space provides collision avoidance with respect to objects in the standard catalogues and space objects models. Apart from the standard catalogues, data will also be collected from collaborative facilities so as to fill in the limitations (accuracy, space object size) of the standard catalogues.

Based on collision risk detection capabilities, Corona Space provide services at different levels:

• Mission analysis phase: Permitting a better planning of the mission, Corona Space provides spacecraft operators with a pre-launch assessment of potential collisions (and associated collision risk) between the objects in orbit and the spacecraft on its planned trajectory during the specified phases of the launch and station acquisition process. This includes the parking orbit, perigee kick burn, transfer orbit, apogee kick burn, and final orbit insertion burn phases.
  
  
• Collision avoidance prior to manoeuvres: Corona Space provides spacecraft operators (upon request) with an assessment of potential collisions (and associated collision risk) between in-orbit objects and a given spacecraft on its planned trajectory during and after a station-keeping manoeuvre.
  
  
• Warnings: Corona Space delivers orbital parameter estimation with a level of accuracy compatible with the detection of collision risk for in-orbit spacecrafts. This delivery will be in the form of submitting warnings (and associated state vectors/ephemerides) to spacecraft operators. These warnings will be delivered at least five days in advance (or as agreed with the spacecraft operator).

Enhanced collision risk estimation

Corona Space provides collision risk estimation with enhanced accuracy, achieved through intensive tracking by multiple sensors, and application of high precision/fidelity orbit propagation algorithms to derive precise state vectors rather than mean elements, which significantly reduces the false alarm rate.