Effect of micro-motion dynamics on the infrared radiation of space objects

In addition to the centroid translation along the trajectory, space objects undergo micro-motion dynamics, such as coning and spinning motions. The micro-motion dynamics of an object might induce fluctuant on infrared signature received by a space-based sensor. In this paper, we develop an infrared signature simulation model for space objects. Formulae of aspect transform matrices for coning and spinning motions are derived. Infrared radiation simulation for a sphere-tipped cone with spinning and coning motions is conducted to study the impact of micro-motion dynamics on the infrared signatures.