Chinese researchers have improved the detection accuracy of space debris orbiting the earth, allowing safer routes for spacecraft maneuvers to be mapped more effectively. Researchers say that more than 50 years after human detectors entered space, there are many man-made debris in orbit around the earth, and various detectors and spacecraft need to avoid various debris in orbit in order to be safe.
So far, some space trash identification systems have been developed, but it is difficult to pinpoint small and fast space trash. The research team created a set of algorithms for laser ranging telescopes that greatly increased the speed of space debris detection. Researchers say that using neural networks to improve the pointing accuracy of the telescope can detect space debris with a cross-sectional area of 1 square meter and a distance of 1500 kilometers.
The previous algorithm allowed the detection of debris, but the accuracy was only 1 km. Researchers used neural networks and correction algorithms to optimize the network thresholds for spatial garbage recognition. This ensures that the network is less sensitive and can be trained in local space. Researchers on the project have demonstrated an improvement in accuracy compared to the three traditional methods of the Beijing Fangshan laser ranging telescope station. The team said that the new positioning correction algorithm proved to be the most accurate, easy to operate and has good real-time performance. Researchers plan to further refine this technology. A researcher pointed out that obtaining orbits of space debris helps the spacecraft operate safely.