Optical scattering characteristics are crucial features of space targets and play a vital role in target recognition and detection systems. Traditional methods are limited in simulating optical scattering properties -which only provide optical cross-section (OCS), scattering characteristics, or synthetic target images.

To address the above limitations and meet requirements of rendering spatial target, this paper conducts a comprehensive study on the computational modeling of optical scattering characteristics for space targets.

A systematic workflow is proposed, along with formulas for calculating target OCS, target irradiance, sky background luminance, target magnitude, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and detection probability. By integrating solar radiation properties, observer-site positioning, and celestial-terrestrial background sphere radiation characteristics, a graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated framework combined with shading languages is implemented to compute time-dependent optical scattering properties, including target OCS, detector-received target/background optical power, target magnitude, SNR, detection probability, and synthetic brightness imagery.

Experimental validation using spherical and cylindrical objects confirms the accuracy of the OCS calculations. Simulations under varying observer locations, reflective properties, and detection windows demonstrate the rationality of the computed optical scattering characteristics.

This study provides a complete set of formulas, parameters, and results, offering significant value for research on space target optical scattering modeling and image-based recognition.