Optical response of nanosatellite BLITS measured by the Graz 2 kHz SLR system

Details Optical response of nanosatellite BLITS measured by the Graz 2 kHz SLR system Optical response of nanosatellite BLITS measured by the Graz 2 kHz SLR system

Oct 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011adspr..48.1335k&link_type=abstract

Advances in Space Research, Volume 48, Issue 8, p. 1335-1340.

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Scientific paper

The nanosatellite BLITS (Ball Lens In The Space) is the first object designed as a passive, spherical retroreflector of the Luneburg type, dedicated for Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR). The optical response of BLITS has been measured by the Graz 2 kHz SLR station and compared with the response of the classical retroreflector arrays (RRA) of the Low Earth Orbiting satellites such as ERS-2 and Stella. This work demonstrates that the optical response of BLITS is flat and featureless, comparable with the signature of a point-source or a flat target, and suggests that this innovative design will deliver a higher normal point (NP) accuracy (2.55 mm) than any other SLR target currently in orbit. The high reflectivity of the glassy BLITS (about 60% of the return rate from the multi-reflector Stella) is found to be decreasing by about 30% per year, probably due to the solar irradiation. Detailed analysis of the reflective half-shell demonstrates that a high return rate of SLR measurements can be achieved regardless of the incident angle of the laser beam, thus making the spherical lens a perfect successor of the classical RRA panels mounted on active satellites such as CHAMP, GOCE and GRACE.

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