Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31531: Pinpointing Tiny Satellites with Lasers: CubeSat Imaging Using Sodium Guide Stars

CubeSats, or miniature satellites, are revolutionizing space exploration by offering affordable and accessible research platforms. But due to their small size, tracking and imaging these objects from Earth can be challenging. That’s where the NanoRacks-Ground-Based Sodium Laser Guide Star Imaging of 1U CubeSats experiment comes in.

Led by Brian Abbe of Booz Allen Hamilton, this experiment tested a novel way to observe CubeSats in low Earth orbit using adaptive optics and sodium laser guide stars — a technique commonly used in astronomy to correct for atmospheric distortion.

A sodium laser guide star is created by firing a laser into the upper atmosphere to excite sodium atoms, creating a bright artificial point of light. This artificial star can then be used as a reference point for ground-based telescopes. The experiment aimed to see if this technique could improve imaging resolution of CubeSats.

During Expeditions 43/44, the ISS deployed a 1U CubeSat, and ground-based observatories targeted it using the sodium guide star system. The data helped refine algorithms for CubeSat detection and tracking, essential for both research and collision avoidance in an increasingly crowded orbit.

This experiment showcases how blending astronomy techniques with space technology can enhance our ability to monitor and utilize small satellites more effectively.

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