Space Based Space Surveillance

Space Based Space Surveillance
Name	Space Based Space Surveillance
Type	Satellite constellation
Country	United States
Operator	United States Space Force
Status	Active

Space Based Space Surveillance Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) is the practice of monitoring objects, activities, and phenomena in Earth orbit using satellites and ancillary space assets. It integrates sensors, satellites, ground stations, and data processing to achieve situational awareness of spacecraft, debris, launches, and natural near‑Earth space environment. SBSS supports command, control, and decision-making for nations, commercial operators, and international organizations.

Overview

Space surveillance relies on platforms such as Geostationary Orbit, Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit, Sun-synchronous orbit, International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, and dedicated constellations. Key institutions engaged in SBSS include the United States Space Force, United States Space Command, Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, European Space Agency, Roscosmos, China National Space Administration, Indian Space Research Organisation, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Australian Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and commercial firms like SpaceX, OneWeb, Planet Labs, Maxar Technologies, LeoLabs, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defence and Space, and Sierra Nevada Corporation. Historical actors in related fields include Wernher von Braun, Sergei Korolev, Vladimir Chelomey, Robert Goddard, and program names like Project Vanguard, Project Mercury, Explorer 1, and Sputnik 1 that shaped orbital awareness.

History and Development

Early SBSS concepts trace to the Cold War and programs such as Corona (satellite), KH-11, Molniya (satellite), Vela (satellite), and ground radars like Daryal radar, PAVE PAWS, and Eglin Air Force Base testbeds. Milestones include the establishment of Space Surveillance Network, the expansion of tracking via GEODSS, the introduction of digital electro-optical sensors with programs like Midcourse Space Experiment, Space Surveillance Telescope, and experimental missions funded by Defense Threat Reduction Agency and DARPA. Collaboration and competition among North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, US–Russia relations, US–China relations, and bilateral agreements have influenced doctrine and procurement.

Technologies and Sensors

SBSS uses optical sensors, infrared imagers, synthetic aperture radar, laser ranging, and radio frequency detectors deployed on platforms including CubeSat, SmallSat, microsatellite, nanosatellite, and large satellites. Prominent sensor projects: Space-Based Infrared System, SBIRS High, Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, Astrophysical Observatory, James Webb Space Telescope (infrared heritage), Space Surveillance Telescope, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Copernicus Programme assets, and commercial constellations like PlanetScope, RapidEye, and SkySat. Techniques incorporate photometry, astrometry, radar cross-section modeling, atmospheric drag estimation, orbit determination using Kalman filter and batch least squares methods developed by researchers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Stanford University, and University of Colorado Boulder. Ground infrastructure examples include Vandenberg Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Patrick Space Force Base, Diego Garcia, RAF Fylingdales, Kwajalein Atoll, Kourou, and commercial ground stations operated by KSAT and Amazon Web Services partnerships.

Operations and Constellations

Operational architectures range from single large spacecraft like X-37B, surveillance constellations like OneWeb (repurposed concepts), and specialized networks such as Space Fence and Space Data Association. Doctrinal constructs reference Joint Space Operations Center, Combined Space Operations Center, and multinational coordination through entities like European Space Agency programs and NATO Allied Command Transformation. Notable operational systems include SBSS (satellite), Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), Space Based Space Surveillance demonstrator (SBSS-D), and commercial services by LeoLabs and ExoAnalytic Solutions.

Applications and Uses

SBSS provides collision avoidance services for operators of International Space Station, Iridium (satellite constellation), Global Positioning System, Galileo (satellite navigation), GLONASS, and BeiDou. It supports anomaly resolution for spacecraft like Tiangong, Tianhe space station module, Skylab (historical), Envisat (end-of-life monitoring), and disaster response coordination with Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Intelligence and reconnaissance uses intersect with National Reconnaissance Office missions, treaty verification such as Outer Space Treaty, launch detection for events like North Korean satellite launches, and support for Space Situational Awareness services in commercial markets.

Challenges and Limitations

Technical and operational limits include sensor saturation during conjunctions, limitations of optical tracking in the presence of clouds for assets like Sentinel-2, the need for radio frequency spectrum coordination involving International Telecommunication Union, and orbital debris proliferation after events like the Fengyun-1C antisatellite test and 2009 satellite collision between Kosmos 2251 and Iridium 33. Attribution difficulties plague responses to maneuvers by satellites such as Kosmos 2499 and activities by commercial operators like SpaceX Starlink (constellation) launches. Financing and procurement issues intersect with agencies such as Congress of the United States, European Commission, and multinational export controls like Wassenaar Arrangement.

Legal, Policy, and Security Issues

SBSS policy touches on treaties and norms including the Outer Space Treaty, Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention, Registration Convention, and discussions within United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Security debates involve arms control dialogues, proposals for a No First Use equivalent in space, and cyber vulnerabilities highlighted by incidents at agencies like NASA and private firms. Export controls and licensing involve International Traffic in Arms Regulations administered by U.S. Department of State and procurement governed by Defense Acquisition University practices. International cooperation occurs through mechanisms such as Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and bilateral data-sharing arrangements involving Japan–United States Security Consultative Committee and U.S.–EU dialogues.

Category:Space surveillance