TRACKING OF LOW EARTH ORBIT SATELLITES BY OPTICAL SYSTEMS

Position information of satellites can be obtainable by using optical techniques. By contrast, radio tracking uses the radio frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum rather than the visible spectrum. However, optical tracking provides higher directional accuracy and lower cost. This paper covers optical tracking Low Earth Orbit Objects, study in order to display their live images on a digital platform and the dynamic model of this system on MATLAB was designed. Satellite tracking system is developed and utilized for determining satellite characteristics and acquiring live image data of telescope on a minimum budget. A summary of the system components, developments, capabilities, and future improvements is addressed within this paper. The system is divided into five main components: telescope, camera, tracking mount, data handling computer and the software. Future plans for a permanent assembly for observing satellites as together with automated data collection is also described.