Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services include the ability to monitor, track, and predict the location and behavior of satellites orbiting the Earth. They are vital for the safety, security, and sustainability of space activities. Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) is a leading space supplier and recently launched a new SSA solution distinguished by its outstanding accuracy and data quality. The solution leverages over six years of data collection from diverse sources and was built together with a trusted partner. Beyond Gravity’s SSA product not only tracks satellite overflights but also offers its users comprehensive ground footprint intelligence, revealing details about the satellite’s onboard technology and instruments. This empowers users with an in-depth understanding of a satellite’s capabilities.
Accelerating Decision-Making
Beyond Gravity’s SSA solution caters to the varied demands of commercial and institutional customers alike. The latter include security units, disaster response teams, or governmental agencies. In mere seconds, the online platform delivers comprehensive intelligence about a satellite’s activities, including potential observation, listening, or interference capabilities within specific regions and timeframes. By leveraging the high-precision satellite intelligence provided, it enables users for instance to swiftly organize aid following natural disasters or secure national and global interests. Oliver Grassmann, Executive Vice President of Beyond Gravity’s Satellites division, emphasizes, “Our new SSA solution is designed to create great added value for our customers, for example by significantly speeding up decision-making. It identifies satellites with necessary capabilities that will fly or have flown over a specific area with unprecedented accuracy, allowing emergency services to swiftly access this information. This can notably expedite the rescue of individuals identified through satellite imagery.”
Trusted and Customizable Solution
The Beyond Gravity SSA solution was developed in a longstanding and collaborative partnership. Oliver Grassmann explains, “Our SSA platform, informed by millions of data points and daily satellite capability monitoring, delivers unmatched operational and technical insight into over 10,000 satellites. It ensures a secure, seamless experience for governmental and commercial stakeholders alike.” He adds, “Customizable and adaptable, our solution is already benefiting a broad spectrum of partners through enhanced data interoperability, such as for Command-and-Control (C2) systems and map layering (e.g., KML).”
Unique Data Solution
With the introduction of its SSA solution, Beyond Gravity is not only broadening its product range but also entering the expanding market for space data services. This move aligns with the anticipated growth of the global space economy, which is expected to surpass a trillion US dollars by the 2040s, alongside a significant increase in demand for data solutions. CEO André Wall underscores this opportunity, stating, “Leveraging our four decades at the forefront of space technology, we are poised to capture additional growth for Beyond Gravity in the dynamic data market. We have developed a unique data solution that creates outstanding value for our customers by providing unparalleled insights into satellite capabilities. Our solution demonstrates how space technology can significantly enhance life on Earth, underlining the critical role of space data across diverse industries.”
| Standard SSA Solutions | Beyond Gravity SSA Solution |
|---|---|
| Unvalidated public information | Validated combination of data (public, OSINT-open source intelligence and primary data) |
| Focus on in-space activities (e.g. collision avoidance) | Focus on satellite overflights and ground footprints |
| No technical insights of satellites | Deep insight on technical capabilities / footprints of satellites |
| Target group: public & satellite operators | Target group: Strategic decision makers & on the ground operator |
| No offline version | Can work offline (under certain conditions) |
| Standalone tool, costly to integrate with other systems | Full interoperability, easy to integrate with other systems |
Did you know? Beyond Gravity is expanding its production sites in the USA and Sweden
Beyond Gravity’s production facilities in Linköping (Sweden), and Decatur, Alabama, (USA), will be massively expanded and modernized following the major order from Amazon in 2021 for the production of satellite dispensers and launch vehicle structures for the Kuiper satellite project. In Linköping, Beyond Gravity will use automated fiber placement technology in the new production building for satellite dispensers. In Decatur, Beyond Gravity manufactures payload fairings for the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicles. With a new facility Beyond Gravity has an annual production capacity of 25 payload fairings (50 half-shells). This is twice the capacity of the current facility.
What is Space Situational Awareness?
Space Situational Awareness (in short SSA) is the knowledge of the space domain. SSA includes the ability to monitor, track, and predict the location and behaviour of objects in space. SSA services may include satellite tracking, space surveillance, satellite overflight, orbital awareness etc.
What is the difference between SSA and SDA?
Since 2019, the United States Space Command exclusively uses the term SDA (Space Domain Awareness) to describe the capability to track and monitor objects in space. In our understanding Space Domain Awareness is a larger construct. Space Domain Awareness (SDA) covers a wider range of SSA activities, that go beyond the limitations of Situational Awareness and cover additional components, networks of systems of systems, space weather, or Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST).
To learn more about the SSA solution from Beyond Gravity, visit: https://www.beyondgravity.com/en/satellites/space-situational-awareness
Request a demo of the Beyond Gravity SSA solution: https://www.beyondgravity.com/en/satellites/space-situational-awareness#request-a-demo
More about Space Situational Awareness in general:
https://www.beyondgravity.com/en/story/our-space-data-service-space-situational-awareness
Did you know? Beyond Gravity with higher sales in 2023
Beyond Gravity’s sales in 2023 increased by 8 % to USD 427 million (CHF 383 million Swiss francs). EBIT (Earnings before interest and taxes) recovered to a black zero, while massive investments were made in the expansion of production and digital infrastructure. These investments are laying the foundation for profitable growth. Order intake and order backlog are both at high levels. The full order books thus ensure long-term production capacity utilization and allow Beyond Gravity to look to the future with confidence.
More information: https://www.beyondgravity.com/en/2023-management-report
Learn how Beyond Gravity is pushing boundaries of what is technically feasible for the benefit of humankind.
Beyond Gravity, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, combines a startup mindset, agility, speed, and innovation with decades of experience and proven quality. Approximately 1’600 employees in seven countries (Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Germany, USA, Finland, and Portugal) develop and manufacture products for satellites and launch vehicles. In 2023, Beyond Gravity generated a revenue of around USD 427 million (CHF 383 million).
