First Daytime Observation of Space Debris

(University of Bern, August 28, 2020)

Space debris represents a constant threat to active satellites, which, as a result, must perform costly evasive maneuvers on a regular basis. In this context, the satellite laser ranging method has proven to be an effective technology to improve the trajectory accuracy of space debris, but until recently, only a few observatories worldwide succeeded in making such measurements, and only at night. However, on June 24, 2020, researchers led by University of Bern Professor Thomas Schildknecht were able to carry out the first daylight observations of space debris, using a geodetic laser at the Zimmerwald Observatory. This not only implies that the number of measurements of space debris could be multiplied, but using the existing network of stations with geodetic lasers, a highly precise space debris orbit catalog could be built up in the future.