Optical modeling in Testbed Environment for Space Situational Awareness (TESSA)

We describe optical systems modeling in the Testbed Environment for Space Situational Awareness (TESSA) simulator. We begin by presenting a brief outline of the overall TESSA architecture and focus on components for modeling optical sensors. Both image generation and image processing stages are described in detail, highlighting the differences in modeling ground- and space-based sensors. We conclude by outlining the applicability domains for the TESSA simulator, including potential real-life scenarios.