The new transmitting antenna for BIRALES

Abstract

Abstract. In the last decades the increasing Resident Space Objects (RSOs) population is fostering many Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) initiatives, which are currently based on the use of ground sensors. These can be distinguished in optical, laser and radar and categorized in tracking and survey sensors. In particular, the survey radars allow to determine the orbit of both catalogued and uncatalogued objects. Italy contributes to the European SST (EUSST) activities with the BIstatic RAdar for LEo Survey (BIRALES), whose transmitter is the Radio Frequency Transmitter (TRF), located at the Italian Joint Test Range of Salto di Quirra in Sardinia, and whose receiver is a portion of the Northern Cross Radio Telescope, located at the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station, near Bologna. The current sensor configuration is undergoing an upgrade process, including the receiver field of view extension and a new transmitter station. The purpose of the work is to present the new transmitting antenna of BIRALES, showing its technological progress and the potential for the monitoring of space debris. The final objective is to produce a high technological radar to improve the performance of the EUSST sensors network. In particular, the aim is to increase both the number of detectable objects and the sensitivity to detect fragments of a few centimetres up to an altitude of 2,000 km, with a remarkable improvement of orbit determination procedures and quality. The transmitting antenna has been designed to be very flexible for any type of observations, modifying its parameters depending on the observation needs and according to the service to offer (monitoring of fragments, re-entry or for collision avoidance). The work presents the system architecture and the transmitting antenna structure, and the performance are assessed through numerical simulations.