• Testing and improvement of the different strategies of GEO region survey and search of unknown objects
• Search and detection of all unknown bright (brighter than 15.5m) GEO objects and as maximal as possible number of faint GEO objects for providing solid basis for construction o most reliable picture of dynamical distribution of GEO region objects having size more than 15-20 cm
• Continuous tracking of detected objects
• Determination of trajectory parameters, estimation of area-to-mass ratio (AMR) for all tracked objects
• Analysis of orbital elements evolution and possible conjunction events with other objects

• Space debris scientific expert commission of the Space Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences is responsible for the tasks definition and high-level coordination
• Center on space debris data collection, processing and analysis of the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics (KIAM) of the Russian Academy of Sciences is organizing and coordinating the particular research projects and maintaining space debris dynamical data archive
• Agreements on scientific collaboration between KIAM and observatories
• Participation in programs tasked by Roscosmos including support of the Russian delegation activity within framework of the IADC

• Russian Academy of Sciences
• KIAM contracts with Roscosmos
• Ministry of education and science of Russian Federation
• INTAS international association grants
• Support from the industry partners (ISC Vympel)
• Support from the observatories’ host institutions

• Use existing classical astronomical instruments (including those involved into asteroid search and tracking programs) and make their appropriate step-by-step upgrade: installation of modern CCD-cameras, time synchronization equipment, CCD images processing software for fast moving objects, mount automation, FOV increasing by means of special optical constructions addition
• Develop methods of search and tracking of studied objects, test these methods with help of the most experienced teams of observers
• Install new observation instruments specially developed for wide and deep searches of the relatively fast (up to few arcmin per second) moving objects
• Involve observation facilities/instruments providing jointly coverage of GEO, GTO and other HEO orbits as global as possible and also providing ability to establish follow-up measurements of faint objects by alert (new discovery, urgent need to update orbit for obtaining precise parameters etc.)

• Early 1970s – start of observations of bright manmade objects in GEO region by observatories of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
• 1990s – technology transfer from photo to CCD
• Early 2000s – test measurements of faint space debris objects in GEO

• 2004 – start of systematical research work on observation of faint objects on GEO and joint work on maintenance of dynamical archive of space objects as complete as possible in part of GEO bright objects. One of main driving force pushed forward this research program is international efforts on space debris studying coordinated by the IADC. Project “Scientific optical cooperative network” started.
• 2005 – start of program of instrument’s technical upgrade. First tests of wide field of view instruments. Expansion of the network to the East (Ussuriysk) and to the West (Bolivia). Start of observations of various HEO faint objects
• 2006 – already 16 instruments in 12 observatories from 6 countries have taking part in joint coordinated research program

Key Obtained Results
2004-2006

• It is proved that classical astronomical instruments been appropriately upgraded can be effectively used for observations of objects (including faint space debris) on high near-Earth orbits
• GEO belt is covered at present between 130.3W and 210.6E (i.e. 340.9° of whole 360° arc is covered for zero inclination objects) for bright objects and between aprox. 120W and 120E for faint objects
• At about 110000 measurements used for orbit determination are obtained including more than 36000 ones for faint objects
• 138 new GEO region objects brighter than 15m are discovered and orbital data for them is published in the ESOC Classification of Geosynchronous Objects on a yearly basis. Last update – Issue 9 (February 2007)
• 185 previously unknown faint (fainter than 15m) high altitude orbit objects are discovered. 80 of them are tracking on more or less regular basis.
• Results obtained with the developed by Pulkovo scientists theory of fragmentations on GEO and KIAM scientists analysis of possible fragmentation events on GEO are confirmed in a separate research by our colleagues from the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB). Accumulated statistical measurements have revealed presence at least 12 space debris clouds in GEO in agreement with the theory predictions.

• Long term evolution analysis of large GEO population objects have been conducted based on archive of orbital and measurement information covering last 35 years
• Significant number of relatively small “jumps” in drift rate of many of large non-functional objects in GEO was revealed. Those “jumps” can’t be explained by natural perturbations as gravity or solar radiation. GAO (Pulkovo) team have preliminary concluded that collisions with yet not known pieces of space debris in GEO can serve as one of possible explanations but this theory should be accurately verified by different ways
• Analysis of possible conjunctions of newly discovered and tracked faint debris (GEO and GEO-like) with some GEO operational orbital slots (protected area of space limited in ±0.5° by longitude, ±0.1° by inclination and bounded in height by maximal eccentricity value 0.0005) showed that many of them have crossing protected space from time to time thus being potentially dangerous
• Existence of high AMR value objects in GEO region makes reliable encounters predictions impossible even on relatively short time intervals due to uncertainties in orbital propagation. The problem can be solved only in case of regular observations of such objects.

• Special program of observation instruments modernization as well as new instruments development is carrying out in order to increase of amount of measurements obtained, to shorten periods between consecutive observations of the same object especially having large AMR value, and to increase instrument’s sensitivity along with improvement of their search (survey) capability.
• Research team participates in the special IADC campaign on studying of physical properties of the high AMR value objects in order to understand their nature and possible origin source
• Dynamical archive of information on observed objects maintained by the KIAM will be upgraded as well. It is planned that special public resource for scientists and researchers providing access to accumulated information and to observation scheduling and processing service will be opened early 2008
• New High Geocentric Orbit Space Debris Circular starts from Feb 2007. It will be completely devoted to results of researches similar to described in this presentation. The first issue of the Circular is proposed to your attention at this session.

• GEO belt is a limited natural resource and it should be kept usable for future generations and for all nations without any doubts. That means our activity in GEO should not result in pollution of this very important for all of us region.
• Just discovering and tracking of space debris on high orbits and GEO as one of them is not the solution we need. The goal is to provide spacecraft designers and operators with accurate information for close encounters calculations and estimation of real danger posed by space debris on high orbits. We definitely need information for understanding of space debris origin in order to make appropriate changes in spacecraft and upper stages design to prevent creation such debris in the future. And finally we need as complete as possible information to construct reliable space debris population evolutionary models for high orbits.
• Taking into account all specific properties of the high orbit space debris we think that the task formulated here can’t be solved by any nation alone.

• In our opinion, organization of the wide international cooperation on search and regular tracking of faint (of 15m-20m) objects on high altitude near-Earth orbits especially in GEO region would provide invaluable help from the point of view of quality and completeness of solving of the task of obtaining and prediction with high reliability of situation caused by space debris pollution in that region
• Our experience of successful usage of classical astronomical instruments for high orbit space debris research and the fact of existence of large number of astronomical instruments (including and especially those involved into NEA search and tracking program) in different countries around the world serves as a good starting point for such cooperation organization.
• Support of designers and operators of GEO and HEO spacecrafts as well as of insurance companies who needs reliable information on risks caused by space debris population on high altitude orbits would be helpful in organization of cooperative international GEO space debris monitoring and creation of the appropriate international informational resource.
• Russian Academy of Sciences and KIAM of the RAS in particular is able and ready to play coordination role in such wide international project which is valuable both in scientific and applied fields.