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High fidelity imaging of geosynchronous satellites with the MROI

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Conference Object

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Authors

Haniff, Christopher  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8726-5797
Creech-Eakman, M 
Payne, I 

Abstract

Interferometry currently provides the only practicable way to image satellites in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) with sub-meter spatial resolution. The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI) is being funded by the US Air Force Research Laboratory to demonstrate the 9.5 magnitude sensitivity (at 2.2 µm wavelength) and baseline-bootstrapping capability that will be needed to realize a useful turn-key GEO imaging capability. This program will utilize the central three telescopes of the MROI and will aim to validate routine acquisition of fringe data on faint well-resolved targets. In parallel with this effort, the University of Cambridge are investigating the spatial resolution and imaging fidelity that can be achieved with different numbers of array elements. We present preliminary simulations of snapshot GEO satellite imaging with the MROI. Our results indicate that faithful imaging of the main satellite components can be obtained with as few as 7 unit telescopes, and that increasing the number of telescopes to 10 improves the effective spatial resolution from 0.75 meter to 0.5 meter and enables imaging of more complex targets.

Description

Keywords

optical interferometry, image reconstruction, geosynchronous satellite

Journal Title

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Conference Name

SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation

Journal ISSN

0277-786X
1996-756X

Volume Title

9907

Publisher

SPIE
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/M001172/1)