In-situ observations of resident space objects with the CHEOPS space telescope

TL;DR

This study utilizes CHEOPS space telescope images to detect and analyze resident space objects, revealing trends in satellite and debris populations over three years, including the influence of Starlink, with implications for space situational awareness.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel method of detecting resident space objects in CHEOPS images using a Hough transform, providing a large dataset for analyzing space debris and satellite trends.

Findings

Thousands of space object trails detected in CHEOPS images.

An increased occurrence rate of resident objects over three years.

Identification of Starlink constellation signatures in the data.

Abstract

The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) is a partnership between the European Space Agency and Switzerland with important contributions by 10 additional ESA member States. It is the first S-class mission in the ESA Science Programme. CHEOPS has been flying on a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit since December 2019, collecting millions of short-exposure images in the visible domain to study exoplanet properties. A small yet increasing fraction of CHEOPS images show linear trails caused by resident space objects crossing the instrument field of view. To characterize the population of satellites and orbital debris observed by CHEOPS, all and every science images acquired over the past 3 years have been scanned with a Hough transform algorithm to identify the characteristic linear features that these objects cause on the images. Thousands of trails have been detected. This statistically significant sample shows interesting trends and features such as an increased occurrence rate over the past years as well as the fingerprint of the Starlink constellation. The cross-matching of individual trails with catalogued objects is underway as we aim to measure their distance at the time of observation and deduce the apparent magnitude of the detected objects. As space agencies and private companies are developing new space-based surveillance and tracking activities to catalogue and characterize the distribution of small debris, the CHEOPS experience is timely and relevant. With the first CHEOPS mission extension currently running until the end of 2026, and a possible second extension until the end of 2029, the longer time coverage will make our dataset even more valuable to the community, especially for characterizing objects with recurrent crossings.