SATELLITE TRACKING WITH TELESCOPE AND SOFTWARE

Space is becoming increasingly congested and contested as small satellites, to include CubeSats, are launched in greater numbers. The Space Systems Academic Group at the Naval Postgraduate School purchased an advanced commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) telescope from Meade Instruments (model LX600) with the goal of tracking CubeSats and as an educational tool for postgraduate students. This thesis specifies a plan, based on research and proof-of-concept testing, for NPS to create an automated (closed-loop) optical telescope system capable of detecting and tracking CubeSats in low Earth orbit. Satellite tracking will be a new capability for NPS, and will allow for future work in multiple areas, to include orbit determination, space situational awareness, and laser communications. This thesis recommends additional equipment, dedicated software, and permanent staging of the telescope system in order to attain a closed-loop satellite tracking system with an optical telescope.http://archive.org/details/satellitetrackin1094563462Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited