NASA has agreed to use the services of the Space Data Association (SDA), an international cooperative started by commercial satellite operators to enhance orbital safety and efficiency by sharing data on satellite locations and broadcasting frequencies, the nonprofit group announced Aug. 8.
NASA is the second U.S. government agency to agree to use SDA’s services, intended to reduce the chances of collisions or interference between operational satellites in an increasingly congested orbital environment. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which operates weather satellites in both geostationary and low Earth orbits, signed a similar agreement in May.
