On measurement-based light-time corrections for bistatic orbital debris tracking

When tracking objects in space, one must account for the propagation time of light between the object and the receiver (light-time). Most published tracking algorithms ignore light-time delays, implying that the time the light hit the target is ascertained from each measurement individually. This paper demonstrates that prediction biases worsen at high bistatic angles and exceed 250 m magnitude in a realistic scenario, indicating that more specialized algorithms should be used in such scenarios.