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This thesis demonstrates that any individual can provide relevant observational data to further research efforts within the Aerospace community, through the use of amateur telescopes. A Meade LX200 12 in. telescope and Lumenera Skynyx 2.0 camera were utilized to observe small LEO satellites, using a well-documented point-and-wait staring method. Over a period of three months, a total of 186 observation attempts were made resulting in 97 successful captures. From the gathered data, three possible aerospace applications were analyzed: validation of a satellite brightness prediction model, angles-only orbit determination including extended Kalman filtering, and temporal error growth in TLE-based orbit propagation. Further investigations include a preliminary optimization using MATLAB's fmincon function (informed by the previous analyses) to determine an optimal telescope size for performing LEO observations. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks is given to my advisor, Dr. Kira Abercromby, for her generous help and persistent encouragement throughout this project. knowledge and resources proved invaluable to an aerospace engineer disguising himself as an astronomer! Lastly much gratitude is given to my friends and family who offered their advice, love, and support during this project.

The Feasibility and Application of Observing Small LEO Satellites with Amateur Telescopes