Under conditions of rapid accumulation of objects in near-Earth space and the increasing risk of collisions, ensuring space safety becomes one of the priorities for scientific-technological development. The international agenda in planetary defense and space situational awareness requires creation of national monitoring systems capable of providing timely detection, tracking, and analysis of potentially hazardous objects.
The Program is aimed at establishing a national system for monitoring space and developing modern technologies for data analysis. Its key feature is transition from infrastructure expansion to technological scaling of the Kazakhstan telescope network and its integration into international systems. The expansion of geographical coverage is planned through cooperation with foreign observatories, enabling observations of objects in the Southern Hemisphere and the implementation of long-term monitoring campaigns.
The Program will implement data processing methods, including machine learning and AI-algorithms, as well as high-speed image acquisition systems. The implementation of the Program will ensure the modernization of the existing telescope network, development of computing infrastructure, and creation of a national platform for monitoring space integrated into international initiatives aimed at ensuring space safety.
Aim of the project:
Development and scaling of the Kazakhstan telescope network with the participation of international partners to enhance situational awareness in near-Earth space and expand capabilities for deep-space research
Tasks:
Task 1. Expansion of the capabilities of the Kazakhstan telescope network, including cooperation with leading international observatories to extend research to objects in the Southern Hemisphere and to conduct long-term monitoring observations of space objects;
Task 2. Development and implementation of methods for digital data analysis and image acquisition using new software solutions, algorithms, and methodologies, including elements of machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as high-rate data readout systems based on CMOS and EMCCD sensors, in order to expand the functional capabilities of the system, including the detection of faint objects and the search for asteroids and comets.
Task 3. Integration of observation protocols and algorithms for determining the orbital parameters of objects approaching Earth and potentially on collision trajectories with it into the control and data analysis software of the wide-field optical systems of the Kazakhstan telescope network.
Task 4. Formation of the necessary computing and storage resources for the deployment of on-prem solutions for digital data analysis using machine learning and artificial intelligence methods.
Task 5. Provision of the software infrastructure of the telescope network (installation and configuration of the required software on network nodes, optimized methods of data transmission between them, centralized monitoring of equipment status, and an informational web resource for external users).
