Abstract / truncated to 115 words (read the full abstract)

The space environment around planet Earth comprises a variety of nonhomogeneous and nonstationary fluxes of natural and man-made junk. Such debris may collide at hypervelocity with strategic orbital infrastructure, thus jeopardizing the space economy. For this reason, the European Space Agency (ESA) sustains a strategy to acquire a “...capability to watch for objects and natural phenomena that could harm satellites in orbit.” Accordingly, large ground-based radars and optical telescopes allow monitoring debris populations with an average size larger than, say 10 cm, up to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO), respectively. In fact, these assets form fence coverage areas along with a grueling data fusion for orbit estimation while coping with limits related ... toggle 3 keywords

spaceborne radar – space situational awareness – space domain awareness

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