Space-Based Observations of Plasma Waves During Conjunctions Between Host Sensors and Space Objects
Lauchie Scott, Paul Bernhardt, Andrew Howarth · 2026
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Description
Lauchie Scott, Paul Bernhardt, and Andrew Howarth report in 2026 on a satellite experiment that tried to spot nearby space objects through plasma waves. Objects moving through the ionosphere leave a thinned wake behind them, which might betray debris that ground tracking misses.
In 2022 the Canadian satellite CASSIOPE listened during 35 close passes by other objects, recording electric field data before, during, and after each encounter. Only a few passes showed noise near the closest approach, and most were hard to separate from natural auroral activity. One pass involving a Starlink satellite matched well. Overall, the team judges wake sensing impractical for routine debris detection.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Lauchie Scott, Paul Bernhardt, Andrew Howarth |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 62 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |