MATS Satellite Mission Analysis

Project Objective

Analyze the Line-of-Sight (LOS) visibility between the MATS satellite and Starlink satellites for the first 30 days of January 2023.

Dataset

• Source: Space-Track
• Period: 2022-12-31 to 2023-02-01
• Satellites Analyzed: 439 Starlink satellites
• Data Resolution: 60-second intervals

Methodology

Mathematical Formulation

The analysis uses a simplified Earth spherical model with the following key parameters:

• Earth Radius: WGS84_EARTH_EQUATORIAL_RADIUS (6,378,137 m)
• Adjusted Radius: ~6,460 km (accounting for 80 km altitude of highest clouds)

Line-of-Sight Formula

$$ |d| = \sqrt{ |r_1|^2 - \frac{ (|d_{12}|^2 + |r_1|^2 - |r_2|^2)^2 }{4 |d_{12}|^2}} $$

Visibility Criterion: Satellites are in line-of-sight if distance ≥ 7,970 km

Key Analyses

1. Satellite orbit propagation
2. Line-of-Sight visibility
3. Intersatellite distance calculations

Results Visualization

Visibility Analysis

1. Waterfall plot showing satellite visibility
2. Number of visible satellites over time
3. Minimum distance between MATS and Starlink satellites
4. Intersatellite distances heatmap

Line-of-Sight Evolution Animation

MATS Satellite Specifications

• Orbit: Circular, sun-synchronous
• Altitude: 585 km
• Imaging Capabilities:
  • Tangent altitude: 75-110 km
  • Field of View: 5.67° × 0.91°
  • Swath coverage: 250 km × 40 km

Future Work

1. Analyze Starlink satellites within MATS's field of view
2. Develop more sophisticated visibility models
3. Quantify potential measurement interference from Starlink satellites

image credit: MATS collaboration

Prerequisites

• Python
• pip
• Virtual environment

Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Create a virtual environment
3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt