Radiotelescopio Croce del Nord, Medicina (BO), Italy
Space Debris
The increasing of orbiting objects poses a growing threat to the satellite infrastructure. This concern led to a major milestone in 2015, when INAF joined the European EUSST (Space Surveillance and Tracking) consortium. This initiative was designed to unite the capabilities of member states in protecting space assets by establishing an advanced network of sensors to detect and monitor orbiting objects. Within this framework, Italy plays a crucial role through the BIRALES (BIstatic Radar for LEO Survey) system, where the Northern Cross is the receiving part of the radar. Thanks to its vast surface area and upgraded instrumentation, the Northern Cross can detect remarkably small objects and track their orbits with extreme precision. This work is vital for maintaining an accurate catalogue of space debris and for preventing potential collisions in orbit or hazardous re-entries to Earth.
Planned activities:
The Northern Cross radiotelescope is undergoing technological upgrades: new focal lines, receivers, fiber optics, and a computing center. Development includes multibeam algorithms, adaptive beamforming, and orbital determination. The system will monitor space debris by scheduling antennas and sharing data with the European database.
Financing program: Space Regulation, Horizon Europe, Accordi ASI
Referent: Germano Bianchi (INAF)
For further information: EUSST