BLITS: The first autonomous zero-signature satellite in orbit

摘要

The blits satellite has been designed as an experimental zero-signature slrtarget, providing a target error value of less than 0.1 Mm. It is a 17-cm-diameter glass ball lens made of two different types of glass and partly covered by a metal coating, so that it is in fact a retroref lector with a cross-section of about 10~5 sq m at a wavelength of 532 nm, and access solid angle of about 2π. The satellite was launched into a circular 835-km-high orbit September 21, 2009, and since then most of the global slr network stations provide regular ranging data confirming the basic design parameters. The satellite spin period is about 5.6 Sec, and remains constant during the ～ 20 months of operation. A modified version of this satellite is under design, to be launched into a higher orbit where the atmosphere drag is much less than at the present orbit height.