By Electronic Warfare Hub Analysis Desk
The U.S. Space Force plans to launch a prototype software environment later this fall to automate the integration of commercial and military space-tracking data, an effort intended to provide more timely and accurate information about objects in orbit.
Col. Barry Croker, who leads Mission Delta 2, said the service also plans to build a minimum viable product that can be brought online quickly. The plans were reported during the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference in Hawaii. Breaking Defense first reported the initiative.
“Our number one priority right now is: How do we improve support to space control operations?” Croker said.
The proposed software would support space-domain-awareness operations by combining information collected by military sensors with observations and analysis from commercial providers. Croker said the service is placing a greater emphasis on timeliness than on achieving the highest possible accuracy in every observation.
That approach could provide an earlier indication of changing conditions in orbit, even when the available information is less precise. Croker cited examples such as a newly formed debris cloud or a large group of satellites that had recently been launched. A faster, imperfect assessment could help show what is happening before more exact analysis is available.
Commercial firms already provide space-tracking information to the U.S. government. The Space Force obtains that information through the Joint Commercial Operations cell and stores it in the cloud-based Unified Data Library. The data currently operates in parallel with the computer systems used for operational space-domain awareness, rather than being fused directly into them.
Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, said automatically integrating commercial tracking information into operational systems could address important capability gaps. He said current space-domain-awareness capabilities are not sufficient to ensure precise targeting of adversary satellites and identified improved data integration, along with consistent funding for commercial data, as an important near-term step.
Mission Delta 2 organizes, trains and equips Guardians for space-domain-awareness operations. Its 18th and 19th Space Defense Squadrons operate the Space Surveillance Network’s telescopes and radars around the world. The squadrons also use software systems to analyze information gathered about objects in space, including objects operated by potential adversaries.
The proposed environment is intended to give the service a place to work with fused information while limiting the effect of lower-accuracy commercial data on military tracking used for high-accuracy missions. Croker said the service wants to conduct that work without perturbing missions such as high-accuracy collision avoidance.
The planned system reflects a tension in space tracking: military sensors can provide highly accurate information, while commercial sources may offer observations and analysis more quickly. The prototype is intended to combine those sources so operators can receive a more timely picture of activity in orbit while maintaining the conditions needed for missions that depend on high accuracy.
Croker said the service’s plan is to launch the prototype software environment later this fall and build a minimum viable product that can be operational quickly. The effort is focused on improving support to space-control operations through faster access to information about space objects and events.