The 18th and nineteenth Space Defense Squadrons (SDS) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., have issued recommendations for future satellite operators on how one can lessen the probabilities of collision in low Earth orbit (LEO)–impacts which will spur the so-called Kessler effect, named after a paper in 1978 by NASA scientist Donald Kessler, during which the generation of debris results in a rise within the probability of more LEO collisions.
In a paper for the Small Sat conference in Park City, Utah, Cynthia Wilson and Corey Best, identified originally of the paper as members of the 18th SDS, wrote that the Department of the Air Force created a Space Situational Awareness Program after the collision of the Russian Kosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 satellites in 2009–the primary crash divulged between two satellites.
“This incident generated hundreds of pieces of debris that may proceed to pose a threat to spaceflight safety for years to come back, so the choice was made to offer data and thus awareness to all satellite owners and operators,” Wilson and Best wrote. “While the first focus of 18 SDS and 19 SDS is providing comprehensive space domain awareness to enable space defense, we realize that spaceflight safety and promoting responsible behavior in space is paramount to continuing assured access to space for our partners and allies in addition to for all space operators around the globe.”
The 18th and nineteenth SDS have catalogued 44,800 space objects, including 8,600 satellites, at https://www.space-track.org/auth/login
The 18th SDS “collects tons of of hundreds of metric observations each day from the U.S. Space Surveillance [SSN] and calculates current and predicted orbits for all artificial objects in Earth
orbit,” the paper said. “We monitor all activity to, in, and from space, and maintain custody of all resident space objects.”
SSN includes 4 Northrop Grumman [NOC] Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites, launched between 2014 and 2016, and two GSSAP birds launched on Jan. 21 last 12 months. The U.S. Space Force/National Reconnaissance Office SILENTBARKER satellites–the primary of which can launch this 12 months–are planned to be a big improvement to GSSAP (, June 26).
Of their paper for the Small Sat conference, Wilson and Best advise satellite providers to be certain that their LEO birds are at the very least 1U–10 cm by 10 cm by 10 cm–to be certain that 18th SDS can track them easily. The authors also advise satellite providers to register their missions on , to contact 18th SDS early on future planned missions, and to make use of a novel satellite name for every mission.
“As space congestion and competition increase, it’s crucial for space actors to collaborate, share operational data, and exchange best practices to make sure protected, secure, and sustainable space operations,” Wilson and Best wrote. “While there is no such thing as a legal obligation for satellite owners to collaborate with 18 SDS and 19 SDS, early communication and coordination with these organizations enhance mission success through accurate tracking, early identification, and collision warnings.”
Last month, Anduril Industries received an $8.1 million contract as a part of Space Systems Command’s mesh networking effort for Space Domain Awareness Space Surveillance Network Sensors (, July 13).