Earth’s orbit will be monitored by a watchful set of robotic eyes, the first commercial constellation of satellites with the ability to keep track of objects in space to avoid collisions between spacecraft.
Canadian startup NorthStar is getting ready to launch the first four of its Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites equipped with advanced optical devices for detecting space objects and star trackers for accurate positioning. The satellites were planned to launch on board Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket on Sunday afternoon Sydney time, however, they’ve postponed the flight until Wednesday, January 31.
The satellites are built and operated by Spire Global, a space-based data and analytics provider, and are designed to provide continuous monitoring of space objects in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary orbit (GEO). “Not all satellites are universally equipped with the ability to monitor space,” Spire General Manager and Global Head of Space Services Frank Frulio told Gizmodo in an email. “These four satellites represent the first commercial satellites of their kind, designed not only to simultaneously monitor near-Earth objects from space but also to deliver timely and precise information for space object detection, tracking, orbit determination, collision avoidance, navigation, and proximity alert.”
Today, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network and other military departments are the ones that have advanced systems in place to detect, track and identify objects in Earth orbit. Unfortunately, they tend not to share all that information with other space-inclined entities.
As the space industry continues to grow, so does the concern over space sustainability and safety. “SSA satellites play a crucial and increasingly important role in the growing space industry,” Frulio said. “As the number of objects in space continues to rise, the need for monitoring and understanding the space environment becomes paramount.”
NorthStar’s satellites will provide maneuver detection, conjunction warning, and anomaly detection for spacecraft in orbit, providing early detection and warnings of space-related dangers, and helping fill in the gaps left by ground-based systems that monitor the skies. The company is aiming to launch 12 satellites by 2026, increasing its coverage to more than 60% of the near-Earth orbital sky and up to 100%, when used with other sensors. The complete constellation will be made up of 24 NorthStar satellites.
“NorthStar has patiently invested in the realisation of an unprecedented turnkey SSA service designed to outperform the challenges of space congestion and security in space that are mounting exponentially every day,” Stewart Bain, CEO and Founder of NorthStar, said in a statement.
There are active discussions about creating a civilian-led space traffic monitoring system, according to John Logsdon, professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and former director of the Space Policy Institute.
Logsdon doesn’t think that employing “new methods” is as crucial as establishing a system for monitoring space traffic that is comprehensive, transparent (with the possible exception of highly classified satellites), and accessible to both operators and regulators. “The capabilities to do this exist; the issue is the political will to create such a system,” he explained in an email.
The need for such a system is increasing every day as more companies launch their satellites to orbit, with the potential of the space economy relying heavily on avoiding conflict and protecting commercial- and government-owned assets in space. “There are probably limits on how many objects can co-exist in low Earth orbit before the possibility of collisions or other forms of interference becomes unacceptable,” Logsdon said.