The miniSLR prototype (version 1, October 2019) on the roof of the Institute of Technical Physics in Stuttgart. The whole system is integrated into a single housing and can easily be transported to another location.
Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
In Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) short laser pulses are emitted towards a satellite in orbit. On the satellite, a retroreflector bounces the light back towards the ground station. By measuring the light round trip time, the distance between ground station and satellite can be determined with high precision.
A laser ranging measurement of satellite Lageos-1 by the miniSLR. On the right y-axis, the measured distance is shown relative to the expected range. Averaged values (“normal points”) are indicated by red crosses. During this measurement the satellite is about 7,000 km away from the ground station.
The miniSLR® system can be used to obtain millimetre-precise position data from satellites. These data have numerous applications in geodesy, Earth observation, satellite operation or to monitor decommissioned satellites. All that is required on the satellite is a lightweight and passive retro-reflector.
The miniSLR® can be integrated and tested at the factory before being deployed at its operation site. Thus, the full power of SLR becomes available at a fraction of the cost, development time, and on-site man-power when compared to traditional SLR set-ups. Its fully automatic operation reduces the running costs considerably.
As such, Satellite Laser Ranging becomes available or economically viable for new use cases and customers, such as operators of satellite navigation systems or geodetic institutes in the Global South. In addition, it can pave the way for new fields of application, such as monitoring satellite (mega-)constellations for high-precision orbit prediction and collision avoidance (Space Traffic Management, STM)
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