Newswise — The Secure World Foundation called today for improvements in space situational awareness for all that use the global commons of outer space to carry out a wide variety of services and to further scientific knowledge.
Secure World Foundation believes that the long term sustainability of outer space activities will in time require a broad international approach to space situational awareness.
This call to action has been recently highlighted due to collisions between objects in orbit " events that not only lead to potential disruptions in services but also leave debris in orbit. This debris raises the economic costs of future operations in space by increasing the measures satellite operators must take to protect their assets.
This issue and key recommendations by Secure World Foundation were submitted today in a written statement before the House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
The hearing before the subcommittee focused on "Keeping the Space Environment Safe for Civil and Commercial Users" .
Unavoidable first step
In order to continue to reap the substantial benefits provided by activities in Earth orbit, the United States will need to find a satisfactory way to enhance space situational awareness.
In its written statement, Secure World Foundation noted that:
"If we desire to continue to reap the immense benefits that space can provide, we must take steps to preserve the Earth's orbital environment. A key concern is the threat of loss of utility of key orbits because of a proliferation of space debris. The unavoidable first step to this preservation is to determine what is in Earth orbit and where it is going: space situational awareness (SSA)."
For U.S. strategic, commercial, civil and scientific objectives, improved SSA of all parties is essential to ensure the viability of U.S. interests in space in the long-term.
Access to SSA information, along with the capacity to interpret it for all space actors -- both emerging and developed -- can significantly enhance the safety of U.S. space assets. Improved operational practices through SSA will hopefully help to prevent future collisions and other debris causing incidents.
However, as noted in Secure World Foundation's statement:
"Unfortunately, most actors in space do not have the resources or capacity to provide their own space situational awareness information necessary to make safe and secure decisions regarding activities in space. The few States that do have the resources to provide this information are often limited by national security or military restrictions from sharing it with other actors."
Significant limitations
The United States military currently has the world's best SSA network. Still, this network has significant limitations as a result of the lack of coverage in areas where the United States does not have a presence.
Secure World Foundation points out that, from an organizational perspective, this network does not currently have the financial resources, capacity or requirement to provide the necessary SSA data and resources for civil and commercial purposes globally.
While upgrades to this network are planned and underway by the U.S. military they are subject to fiscal constraints that may cause delays or reductions in desired capabilities.
In its written statement, Secure World Foundation observes that the United States is not alone in its capacity to provide SSA data. Many other States possess a limited SSA capability, usually not more than a few radar or optical telescopes.
Taken separately, these sensors only provide spot coverage and very limited capacity. However, if the data from these existing sensors were combined, they would provide a large fraction of the capabilities necessary for global coverage.
International data sharing
Thus, Secure World Foundation feels that some level of international data sharing would increase SSA capacity without the expense of building additional sensors.
"In addition to global sensor coverage, SSA must include data from commercial satellite owner-operators, as they have positional data on their satellites that is more accurate than any ground-based sensor could obtain," SWF's statement explains.
"These commercial operators have very precise information about the locations of their own satellites, but little to no information about other satellites, dead satellites and other pieces of debris that float through their slots. Their positional data complements the ground-based tracking of debris and also reduces the workload requirements for the tracking networks, freeing up capacity to focus on inactive satellites and debris."
Key points raised in SWF's written statement:
"¢ SSA is vital to the continued long term use and sustainability of Earth orbit.
"¢ There are civil and commercial requirements and uses for SSA data. The U.S. military currently does not have the resources to provide this service.
"¢ An SSA system needs to combine multiple data sources, including ground and space-based sensors, satellite owner-operators, and space weather data.
"¢ While some elements of the SSA system can and should be done unilaterally, there are multiple options for international participation and engagement.
"¢ The key benefit to international participation in SSA is greater capability for relatively low cost, by combining existing sensors and data sources.
REPORTER's NOTE: The full written statement by Secure World Foundation is available at:
http://www.secureworldfoundation.org/siteadmin/images/files/file_291.pdf
About Secure World Foundation
Secure World Foundation (SWF) is headquartered in Superior, Colorado, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Austria. SWF is a private operating foundation dedicated to the secure and sustainable use of space for the benefit of Earth and all its peoples.
SWF engages with academics, policy makers, scientists and advocates in the space and international affairs communities to support steps that strengthen global space security. It promotes the development of cooperative and effective use of space for the protection of Earth's environment and human security.
The Foundation acts as a research body, convener and facilitator to advocate for key space security and other space related topics and to examine their influence on governance and international development.
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