On preparing UKIRT to observe satellites and orbital debris

Richard L. Kendrick; Matthew Bold

doi:10.1117/12.2230830

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27 July 2016 On preparing UKIRT to observe satellites and orbital debris

Richard L. Kendrick, Matthew Bold

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Proceedings Volume 9906, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VI; 99060H (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2230830
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

In 2013 the process of developing an Orbital Debris and Satellite observation capability for the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope was initiated. This process involved the modification of various operational aspects of the observatory. After a year of implementing the modifications the observatory was capable of providing deep space observations of orbital debris and satellites in a queue based format. The telescope has been operating with this capability for the past 2.5 years and has generated terabytes of observational data on orbital debris and satellites that are in the GEO satellite belt distributed across the Pacific Ocean.

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Richard L. Kendrick and Matthew Bold "On preparing UKIRT to observe satellites and orbital debris", Proc. SPIE 9906, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VI, 99060H (27 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2230830

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