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Connecting laboratory and spectroscopic observations of aerospace materials to characterize the reflectivity of artificial space objects and debris in LEO regimes

Authors

Žilková,  Danica
External Organizations;

Šilha ,  Jiří
External Organizations;

Vojtek ,  Pavel
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/julianrv

Rodriguez,  Julian
1.2 Global Geomonitoring and Gravity Field, 1.0 Geodesy, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

de Leon,  Julia
External Organizations;

Matlovič,  Pavol
External Organizations;

Sabolová ,  Katarína
External Organizations;

Schildknecht,  Thomas
External Organizations;

Tóth,  Juraj
External Organizations;

Lászlo,  Robert
External Organizations;

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Citation

Žilková, D., Šilha, J., Vojtek, P., Rodriguez, J., de Leon, J., Matlovič, P., Sabolová, K., Schildknecht, T., Tóth, J., Lászlo, R. (2025): Connecting laboratory and spectroscopic observations of aerospace materials to characterize the reflectivity of artificial space objects and debris in LEO regimes. - Acta Astronautica, 236, 479-486.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.07.003


Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5035891
Abstract
Increasing space activities, especially in low-Earth orbits (LEO), lead to more orbital debris and night-sky pollution. Spectroscopic analysis of light reflected from artificial space objects can aid to identify dominant surface materials and their reflective properties. Satellites interact with sunlight in diffuse and specular reflections, which can be diffracted, and the visible and near-infrared wavelengths of recorded light analysed. By comparing spectra of aerospace materials measured in a laboratory, material signatures of different material structures can be identified. Hereby presented research will propose methods to identify levels of absorption in different wavelength regions and demonstrate the results on laboratory and observational data. Laboratory measurements were conducted at the Department of Experimental Physics of Comenius University in collaboration with Slovak satellite manufacturer Needronix. Spectra of specular glints of LEO space debris were collected by spectral cameras of All-sky Meteor Orbit System (AMOS), diffuse spectra of various satellites and space debris were observed with 80-cm telescope ZimMain at the Zimmerwald Observatory in Switzerland, and spectrum of 2020SO rocket body observed with 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma, Spain. Real observational data will be used to assess the reflective properties and correlate them with reflective properties of aerospace materials measured in a laboratory.