Tiny devices on satellites will soon be able to detect pieces of space debris as small as 1 inch that are invisible to existing space junk monitoring systems but still capable of destroying spacecraft if they might collide with.
These innovative space debris trackers take advantage of technologies flown on most satellites, the so-called star trackers that help spacecraft maintain their orientation in space by adjusting their tilt according to the positions of the surrounding stars.
Star trackers are optical sensors that detect bright objects, stars and planets, as they shine against the dark backdrop of the cosmos. The satellite is programmed to know the position of those stars, so that it can use these measurements to maintain its own position and attitude toward Earth. Sometimes other objects — satellites and debris pieces — pass in front of the view of the star trackers. A new functionality being developed by Belgian company Arcsec will allow these star trackers to characterize the paths of these debris fragments, greatly boosting our awareness of how much junk is in Earth orbit and where it is.
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