space domain awareness

Benchmark unveils small satellite collision-avoidance kit
Benchmark Space Systems unveiled a collision avoidance kit designed to help small satellites dodge debris and steer clear of other spacecraft.

U.S. Space Force sees future demand for surveillance beyond Earth orbit
Space Force Lt. Gen. Whiting said the U.S. military will likely have to pay more attention to what’s happening in cislunar space

Space Force has insatiable demand for geospatial intelligence
The U.S. Space Force plans to request funding in the 2024 budget for space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, U.S. Space Force deputy chief of space operations.

Space domain awareness: A secret weapon against shadowy threats in orbit
KBR, a Defense Department and NASA contractor with $6 billion in annual sales, paid $800 million in 2020 to acquire Centauri, a company focused on space sensors and satellite tracking. The acquisition gave KBR an entry into the business of “space domain awareness,” a military term for the capability to track objects in space and predict potential threats.

U.S. Space Command sending strong demand signal for commercial space services
U.S. Space Command needs more access to cutting-edge technology from the private sector, the head of the command Gen. James Dickinson said April 5.

Chinese rocket, not Falcon 9, linked to upper stage on lunar impact trajectory
In a case of celestial mistaken identity, a spent upper stage that will crash on the far side of the moon in March is now linked to a Chinese launch in 2014, not a SpaceX launch of an Earth and space science satellite in 2015, illustrating the difficulties in tracking objects beyond Earth orbit.

Space Force extends L3Harris’ contract to upgrade space tracking system
The U.S. Space Force has extended L3Harris’ contract to develop a software platform used to monitor satellites and debris in orbit, the company announced Feb. 3.

Space Force’s troubled space-tracking system is officially shut down
The Space Force announced Jan. 26 it has closed down the last remaining piece of the troubled Joint Mission System (JMS).

South Australia’s Oculus Observatory hosts passive radar to track space objects
South Australia’s Oculus Observatory, which opened Dec. 9, houses the first in a planned global network of passive radars to track objects in orbit.

Space Force wants a more detailed picture of what other nations are doing in space
The U.S. Space Force needs better space situational awareness to understand what rivals are doing in orbit, said Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno at the ASCEND 2021 conference.

LeoLabs to construct radars in Western Australia
LeoLabs announced plans Oct. 19 to construct two phased-array radars in Western Australia, the sixth site for the Silicon Valley startup’s global space-tracking network.

Linking allied military space capabilities
The U.S. and its allies are extending military space cooperation beyond information sharing to include joint exercises, wargames and network integration.

Tyvak and Lawrence Livermore National Lab release Earth and space images
Tyvak released the first high-resolution images of objects in orbit and on the ground captured by telescopes the satellite manufacturer developed with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

LeoLabs to expand radar network to Europe
LeoLabs plans to expand its global network of space-tracking radars to the Azores archipelago.

Comspoc embraces startup mentality after AGI spinoff
ow that it’s spun out of Analytical Graphics Inc., Comspoc operates more like a startup focused on space situational awareness, space domain awareness and space traffic coordination and management than a corporate business unit.