摘要 |
A Space Tracking and Identification (STI) method and system uses low-cost identification and location beacon devices situated on each satellite. Preferably, these beacon devices are substantially independent of the mission-specific and satellite-specific navigation and communication systems, thereby allowing their use on any satellite or other space object. The beacon preferably includes a GPS receiver, an on-board processor, and a transmitter that transmits an identifier of the satellite and location information, and optionally other navigation-related information, to a relay satellite or directly to a ground-based system. The ground system delivers the received information, or a processed version thereof, to a recipient associated with the satellite identifier. The beacon preferably uses a Sensor Enabled Notification System (SENS) transmitter that uses Code Phase Division Multiple Access (CPDMA™) to assure low-cost, low-bandwidth, and virtually unlimited extensibility.
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