Australian consortium to build world’s first laser-based space debris tracker

July 30, 2010

Canberra, Australia--EOS was awarded a $3.6 million dollar grant from the Australian Space Research Program to develop the world's first laser-based, space debris tracking system.

Gail Overton

Canberra, Australia--Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS) was awarded a $3.6 million dollar grant from the Australian Space Research Program (ASRP) to develop the world's first automated, high-precision, laser-based, space debris tracking system. See other astronomy-related news, "150 e2v imaging sensors delivered for Gaia."

The grant was awarded to a consortium led by EOS subsidiary, EOS Space Systems Pty. Limited, and which includes the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Australian National University, and Global Near Space Services Inc. (U.S.). The consortium will apply the grant towards the estimated $9 million cost of enhancing EOS’ current space debris tracking capabilities at Mount Stromlo observatory (just outside Canberra) to meet current and future space debris tracking requirements.

The project will be led by EOS Space Systems, whose chief executive Craig Smith said, “Current space surveillance and tracking systems cannot determine orbits in space with sufficient accuracy to cost-effectively mitigate collisions between satellites and space debris. This project will demonstrate responsive, high precision laser and optical tracking of space debris, improved space situational awareness for key space assets, and fully remote and automated operation of a high performance laser tracking system. These new features, to be demonstrated from 2012, can significantly reduce the cost of providing debris protection to satellites, and will ease the integration of the capability into the operational processes of key users.”

In a related development, ASRP funds were awarded to a consortium to develop prototype space-based laser ranging hardware, intended to be flown on NASA’s GRACE (Gravity Recover and Climate Experiment) Follow-on mission, scheduled for launch in 2016.

EOS is also a participant in this consortium, which is led by the Australian National University. The other consortium members are CSIRO, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the Californian Institute of Technology, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), and the National Measurement Institute.

SOURCE: EOS; www.eos-aus.com/pdf/ASX%20announcement%20ASRP%20Grant%2019072010.pdf

About the Author

Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)

Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.