Investigating the Use of Ray Tracing for Signal-Level Radar Simulation in Space Surveillance

The growing number of objects in the Low Earth Orbit is becoming increasingly concerning to astronomers and space missions - particularly due to the limitations in tracking accuracy due to the availability and placements of surveillance sensors. This paper connects to this issue, presenting the development of an open-source, ray-traced, signal-level pulsed radar simulator for use in exploring and planning space monitoring solutions without using real-time data feeds. The simulator was also developed around the use of the NVIDIA® OptiX™ engine to accommodate its ray-tracing features and accelerate performance. This was designed to aid astronomers and researchers in space situational awareness applications through the simulation of radar designs for orbital surveillance experiments. The developed tool was also compared against a more streamlined application that used point-model approximations for quick-look simulations, and the trade-offs between both simulators were evaluated. While the use of ray tracing resulted in significant speed costs, it was found that the algorithm also introduced more realistic results relative to point-model simulations - providing various advantages in scenarios involving shadowing and multiscatter.