The Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (Roscosmos) and the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) are installing a panEOS facility in Hartebeeshoek, South Africa. The Russian complex is designed for the automatic detection of space debris in near-earth orbits. Roscosmos’ Head of the International Cooperation Department, Tatyana Tishchenko and the CEO of SANSA, Dr Val Munsami, announced this during the ongoing International Astronautical Congress (IAC2021) in Dubai.
The PanEOS station is Roscosmos’s “Optical-Electronic Complex for Detection and Measurement of the Movement Parameters of Space Debris” (OEC DSD). It is anticipated that this state-of-the-art scientific equipment will assist many agencies with future launches into space, as it will help them avoid possible collisions with space junk.
“This station will predict the movement of space debris in near real-time and thus, help to reduce the collision of space debris with other objects in space”, explained Tatyana Tishchenko.
South Africa will be responsible for establishing the project, providing operational support and building the required infrastructure. To this end, SANSA will provide the foundations for an observatory building with a shelter and a quickly erectable modular building. On the other hand, Russia will provide the telescope and oversee data processing.
