Conjunction Risk Reduction in LEO through Onboard Optical Processing
Giulio Campiti, Alessandra Colucci, Giuseppe Brunetti, Caterina Ciminelli
Abstract. This work explores improving satellite collision prediction through autonomous optical observation and onboard orbit determination on at-risk LEO platforms. Potentially colliding objects pass near each other multiple times in the last orbits before a potential collision, allowing onboard sensors to collect especially timely data on secondary targets. A simulation framework combining multiple tools models these encounters, generating synthetic imagery and extracting astrometric measurements with uncertainties, which are then processed through sequential estimation filters. Results show how observation timing, sensor performance, and initial position/velocity uncertainty affect final accuracy. For debris at current uncertainty levels, most simulated sensors improve OD if detections succeed, while for accurately tracked satellites, achieving <15 arcsec total uncertainty is needed for noticeable gains.
Keywords
Space Situational Awareness, Onboard Processing, Orbit Determination
Published online 7/20/2026, 6 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Giulio Campiti, Alessandra Colucci, Giuseppe Brunetti, Caterina Ciminelli, Conjunction Risk Reduction in LEO through Onboard Optical Processing, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 69, pp 1042-1047, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904251-180
The article was published as article 180 of the book CEAS – AIDAA Conference 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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