First Resolved Images of a Spacecraft in Geostationary Orbit with the Keck-II 10 m Telescope

摘要

Resolved images of a geostationary satellite were obtained on October 30 2009, with the adaptive optics on the largest telescope on the planet, the 10 m Keck-II on the 14000 foot summit of Mauna Kea. As part of an engineering run at the Keck-II 10 m telescope on Mauna Kea, several adaptive optics images were obtained of geostationary satellite GE-23, a Spacebus 4000C3 built by Alenia Space, with solar panels spanning a total length of 39 meters. The potential for studying satellites in geostationary orbit currently exists on large ground based telescopes. However, in all likelihood, time at these observatories will have to be bought rather than competed for, since large telescopes are heavily over-subscribed and Telescope Allocation Committees award time based solely on astronomical merit.