Brian Weeden, The Aerospace Corporation; Srinivas Setty, Bespin Technologies GmbH; Paul Cefola, University at Buffalo (SUNY); Juan Felix San Juan Díaz, Universidad de La Rioja
https://doi.org/10.64861/QPJX6837
Keywords: space situational awareness, space domain awareness, space traffic management
Abstract:
A significant amount of global effort is currently being invested into developing improved space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities to better understand a dynamic and evolving space environment. The kinds of SSA capabilities being developed today include a much larger number of sources, span a broader spectrum of phenomenology, and are being developed by a more diverse set of public and private stakeholders than in the past. At the same time, there has been a growing focus among policymakers and operators on both Space Traffic Management (STM), the safety side of space activities, and Space Domain Awareness (SDA), the national security side, both of which depend heavily on data provided by SSA capabilities. Yet it is still unclear whether the SSA capabilities the world is investing in are sufficient to meet the requirements for STM or SDA, or even what those requirements are, now and into the future.
This paper provides an overview of how global SSA capabilities have evolved over the last fifteen years in support of both STM and SDA. It is a spiritual update to the authors’ 2010 work, which described global SSA sensors and the computer systems and algorithms present at that time, and builds on other work done since. It defines STM and SDA as currently established in government policy. It examines where they share or differ in technical requirements, implementation challenges, and governance considerations that affect underlying SSA capabilities. The paper then provides a holistic assessment of current global SSA capabilities from public and private actors, and of what SSA capabilities are likely to emerge in the near future. Based on this overview, the paper identifies potential gaps between current SSA capabilities and future STM and SDA needs using selective case studies of emerging space activities. The paper concludes with recommendations for how public and private stakeholders should prioritize future SSA investments and integration efforts to remediate these gaps and ensure we can meet future STM and SDA needs.
Date of Conference: September 15-18, 2026
Track: Featured