Precursor Photometric Study of Astras Satellite Cluster 19.2$^\circ$ E for Geostationary Debris Profiling

TL;DR

This study uses aperture photometry on SuperWASP images to analyze the light curves of Astras satellites at 19.2°E, revealing their rotation and shadowing characteristics, as a step toward geostationary debris profiling.

Contribution

It introduces a photometric method to analyze satellite rotation and shadowing, aiding future debris profiling efforts in geostationary orbit.

Findings

Satellite 1KR has two peaks indicating rotating wings.

Satellite 1M shows shadowing or a single wing design.

All satellites peak at minimum sun phase angle 28°.

Abstract

Aperture photometry was performed on images (from the SuperWASP instrument) of the 19.2$^\circ$E geostationary Astras satellite constellation over 5 nights to form light curves and predict model and movement parameters of the satellites. The 1KR satellite is observed to have two peaks, 90$^\circ$ out of phase indicating rotating wings, while satellite 1M is predicted to have shadowing due to dips in its light curve or a single wing design due to a single major peak. All satellites have peak magnitudes at the minimum sun phase angle 28$^\circ$ as expected. The developed methods and results serve a precursor to developing methods to address the ultimate goal of geostationary debris profiling.