Use of VLF Plasma Waves in the Ionosphere for Detection and Tracking of Harmful Space Debris Produced by the 26 June 2024 Breakup of RESURS P1

The number of satellites launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) is increasing at an exponential rate. Launches support deployment of multi-satellite constellations for many applications. Experiments with electric field sensors on Swarm-E have been conducted to better locate the positions of satellites and space debris for prevention of collisions. Currently, there are about 27,000 known space objects and over 100 million of unknown pieces of space debris. Collision avoidance requires precise knowledge of the positions for all space objects. New techniques are being developed to detect the small, < 10 cm, objects by the plasma waves they generate in space. The bases for this technique is that all space objects in orbit around the Earth (1) pass through a magnetized plasma, (2) become electrically charged, and thus (3) produce detectable plasma waves. Field aligned irregularities (FAIs) in the path of orbiting space objects are monitored by the SuperDARN radar backscatter and by in situ electron density probes. Space debris and satellites moving through these irregularities and can excite plasma emissions such as whistler, compressional Alfven, or lower hybrid waves. Orbital kinetic energy is the source of lower hybrid waves which is converted into an EM plasma oscillation when a charged space object encounters a field aligned irregularity (FAI). Such whistlers and magnetosonic waves propagate undamped the source regions and can be detected at >100 km range. This technique is being used to search for the orbits of pieces of the Russian RESURS P1 (NORAD 39186) that broke up on 26 June 2024.