Maneuver Detection Methods for Space Objects Based on Dynamical Model

Abstract There are approximately 2900 active space objects cataloged, and the number will increase continually in future. All these space objects may maneuver for some purpose occasionally, including highly elliptical orbit (HEO) transfer, station-keeping, orbit altitude adjustment, etc. Hence maneuver detection is very important for space situational awareness (SSA). It also plays an important role in the catalog maintenance by correlating the orbits before and after maneuver. In the paper, the maneuver detection methods based on orbital dynamical model are proposed. Firstly, the perturbations before and after maneuver are analyzed. Then two kinds of maneuver models are derived using the relative dynamical equations. Finally, several kinds of maneuver cases are performed to verify the models proposed. It is demonstrated that these two models are feasible and effective for the detection of longitude aneuvers.