Issue 44

16 Mar 2022: Researchers at the National Defence Technology University say their laser imaging technology can identify small objects in space with unprecedented accuracy…the scientists say it could be used to guide laser beams removing small pieces of hazardous space debris.

– A team of Chinese military scientists say they have achieved a breakthrough in laser imaging technology that will allow ground stations to identify and track a target in space with unprecedented accuracy.

– The results suggest that the radar can image a thumb sized object in near-Earth orbit with a resolution of up to 3 millimeters (0.1 inches).

– This accuracy is two orders of magnitude higher than the

best results achieved by similar devices in the US and other Western countries, according to researchers.

– The technology could also help guide ground-based laser beams to remove small pieces of space debris that threaten satellites and spacecraft.

– “Centimeter or even millimeter-level resolution for space object imaging in the 100km [62-mile] range can be achieved in the

foreseeable future with a performance far superior to those achieved by traditional optical or radar imaging technologies,”said the researchers.

– The technology could be also used to study satellites to obtain valuable information about their design, technology, status and purpose.

– The technology was first proposed by American scientists in the late 1980s and researchers around the world have been working to improve it.

– Laser reflection tomography, inspired by hospital CAT scans, uses laser beams to illuminate the target’s surface and reconstruct the image from light particles bouncing in various directions.

– The resolution on the images obtained using this method is determined by small differences in the angle of the laser beams when they hit the target, rather than the distance from the observer.

– By improving the quality of the laser source and sensitivity of the receiving device, scientists could obtain ultra-sharp images of a tiny object from a long distance away.

– The machine’s actual performance in space surveillance remains classified, but the researchers revealed part of its potential in a ground experiment. The device, mounted on the bank of a reservoir in a suburban area of Hefei city produced sharp images of a 5cm wide, rotating target a kilometer (0.6 miles) away.