Abstract:
This work examines the observation requirements necessary to produce actionable Space Situational Awareness (SSA) products for collision avoidance and radio frequency interference mitigation. The analysis highlights the disproportionate involvement of active satellites in actionable conjunctions in both Low Earth Orbit and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit, despite their minority representation in the overall space object population. Key limitations affecting SSA actionability are identified, including track misassociation, unknown maneuvers, suboptimal sensor tasking, unrealistic covariance characterization, and uncertainty in space weather modeling. Through simulated collision scenarios, the study demonstrates that SSA actionability is strongly dependent on the data quality of both objects involved in a conjunction, with poor-quality data rapidly driving collision probability estimates into non-actionable regimes. The work emphasizes that authoritative ephemerides and realistic covariance data are foundational to effective SSA, and that no single observation source is sufficient to meet these needs. The paper concludes that multi-source collaborative observations, data fusion, standardized data practices, and secure information-sharing frameworks are essential to improving decision-quality SSA and sustaining long-term space safety.
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Oltrogge, D.L., “Space Debris Observation Needs for Actionable SSA,” Panel Presentation, 2011 AMOS SSA Conference, Maui, HI, 15 September 2011, accessible at https://comspoc.com/Resources/Content/Private/C-20220423T161500/Presentation/20110915_SDA_Panel_Discussion_Oltrogge_AMOS_v12.pdf.
