Neuraspace Installs its Second Optical Telescope for Global Satellite Tracking Coverage

Neuraspace optical telescope in Chile

Portuguese aerospace company Neuraspace, one of the world leaders in Space Traffic Management (STM), has announced the installation and activation of its second optical telescope. The new telescope is located in Chile and expands coverage over the southern hemisphere. Together with its first telescope, installed at the Beja air base in Portugal, the company can now provide satellite tracking coverage over both hemispheres through its own telescopes, in addition to global data obtained from partner networks.

As a result of their ability to exceed the acquisition rate of one image per second for low orbits, and by enabling the tracking of objects down to 10 cm in diameter, the two telescopes are among the most advanced in the world for the acquisition of astrometric and photometric data for low Earth orbit (LEO). This reduces the uncertainty level for positional errors to less than 100 meters within one orbital revolution as set out in the ESA Space Debris Mitigation Requirement in 2023.

In addition, they support highly agile horizon-to-horizon multi-orbit tracking to quickly switch between targets, producing measurements over a passage of a few seconds to tens of minutes, enabling scalable acquisition of data suitable for multiple purposes such as collision avoidance, debris tracking, pattern-of-life analysis, and launch and early orbit phase (LEOP).

Due to the high number of clear nights per year in the region, Neuraspace expects the new telescope to be even more productive than its telescope at Beja. The latter has already produced more than 300,000 measurements of space objects in orbits from LEO to GEO within the first three months of operations.

With this latest addition, Neuraspace increases the satellite tracking and analysis capabilities of its STM Platform which also provides analysis using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Neuraspace already provides services such as conjunction monitoring and collision avoidance to over 400 satellites through this platform. Through this second telescope the company will improve the timeliness and accuracy of these services, enabling safer and more efficient spacecraft operations.

Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Neuraspace, said: “This investment consolidates Neuraspace as a global leader in space traffic management. We already excel at creating value from data with AI. Now we're also getting the best possible data with our strategy of fusing data from different sources with our own. With this expansion of our infrastructure, we are redefining the standards of safety and efficiency in space operations worldwide."

The two telescopes are also part of the AI Fights Space Debris project and consortium, which is led by Neuraspace and includes partners such as the Instituto Pedro Nunes, GMVIS Skysoft, the University of Coimbra, the Instituto Superior Técnico and the Nova University of Lisbon. The aim of this investment, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and part of a total planned effort of 25 million euros, is to improve the safety and sustainability of orbits by providing complementary services to all companies operating in space.