Space domain awareness is the study and monitoring of satellites orbiting the Earth. It involves the detection, tracking, cataloging and identification of artificial objects, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation debris.

Aims

Space domain awareness accomplishes the following:

  • Predicting when and where a decaying space object will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere;
  • Preventing a returning space object, which to radar looks like a missile, from triggering a false alarm in missile-attack warning sensors;[1]
  • Charting the present position of space objects and plot their anticipated orbital paths;
  • Detecting new man-made objects in space;
  • Producing a running catalogue of man-made space objects;
  • Determining which country owns a re-entering space object;[1]
  • Informing countries whether or not objects may interfere with satellites and International Space Station orbits;
  • Providing data for future anti-satellite weapons systems.

Systems

Ground-based electro-optical deep-space surveillance telescopes at White Sands Missile Range.

Systems include:

Silentium Defence Oculus Observatory

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Space Surveillance". www.au.af.mil. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  2. "DIU".
  3. "World-class observatory to track space objects". www.space.gov.au. Australian Space Agrency. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. "Silentbarker". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
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