Space domain awareness
{{Short description|Surveillance from and of the outer space environment}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2017}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Space surveillance|Reconnaissance satellite}}
Space domain awareness is the study and monitoring of satellites orbiting the Earth. It involves the detection, tracking, cataloging and identification of artificial objects, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation debris.
Aims
Space domain awareness accomplishes the following:
- Predicting when and where a decaying space object will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere;
- Preventing a returning space object, which to radar looks like a missile, from triggering a false alarm in missile-attack warning sensors;{{Cite web|url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/usspc-fs/space.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001101210011/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/usspc-fs/space.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 1, 2000|title=Space Surveillance|website=www.au.af.mil|access-date=2016-12-06}}
- Charting the present position of space objects and plot their anticipated orbital paths;
- Detecting new human-made objects in space;
- Producing a running catalogue of human-made space objects;
- Determining which country owns a re-entering space object;
- Informing countries whether or not objects may interfere with satellites and International Space Station orbits;
- Providing data for future anti-satellite weapons systems.
Systems
File:The Night Watchmen (3388916).jpeg.]]
Systems include:
- The DEEP-Sight prototype, designed by Deepinder Uppal on behalf of the Defense Innovation Unit, this system is designed to provide space domain awareness across a broad-spectrum of SDA use cases to Space Force, the United States Navy and PSRA (Public Satellite Research and Analysis) teams. {{cite web | url=https://www.diu.mil/latest/commercial-space-industry-providing-tools-to-advance-and-augment-space | title=DIU }}
- The United States Space Surveillance Network which has detectors such as the Space Fence (replacing the now defunct Air Force Space Surveillance System) and Space Surveillance Telescope
- The Russian Centre for Outer Space Monitoring with facilities such as Okno and Krona and Sazhen-S, used to analyse the orbital parameters of space craft.
- The French GRAVES (Grand Réseau Adapté à la Veille Spatiale) bi-static radar-based space surveillance system deploy by French Air Force
- The European Space Situational Awareness Programme with multiple assets in its Space Surveillance and Tracking Segment
- The Australian based Silentium Defence Oculus passive radar space observatory in Swan Reach, South Australia{{cite web |title=World-class observatory to track space objects |url=https://www.space.gov.au/news-and-media/world-class-observatory-track-space-objects |website=www.space.gov.au |publisher=Australian Space Agrency |access-date=9 January 2024 |date=14 November 2022}}
- The American National Reconnaissance Office's Silentbarker satellites{{Cite web |title=Silentbarker |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/silentbarker.htm |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}
File:Silentium Defence Passive Radar for SDA - low resolution 2.jpg
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20001101210011/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/usspc-fs/space.htm United States Space Surveillance]
{{Politics of outer space}}