Space Situation Awareness Operations

Abstract

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is knowledge of all aspects of space related to operations. As the foundation for space control, SSA encompasses surveillance of all space objects and activities; detailed reconnaissance of specific space assets; monitoring space environmental conditions; monitoring cooperative space assets; gathering intelligence on adversary space operations; and conducting integrated command, control, communications, processing, analysis, dissemination, and archiving activities. SSA also encompasses the integration, exploitation and delivery of data sources to facilitate the battle management and command and control of space forces. This program element fields, upgrades, modifies, modernizes, operationalizes, operates and maintains Air Force sensors and information integration capabilities within the SSA Space Surveillance network (SSN) while companion program element 1206425F, Space Situational Awareness Systems, develops new network sensors and improved information integration capabilities across the network. Activities funded in this program element (1203940F) focus on surveillance of objects in earth orbit to aid tasks including satellite tracking; space object identification; tracking and cataloging; satellite attack warning; notification of satellite flyovers to U.S. forces; space treaty monitoring; and technical intelligence gathering. The 67A017 project funds efforts to upgrade, operationalize and extend the life of operational SSA sensors, as needed. Through Service Life Extension Programs (SLEPs) the following types of activities are performed, but are not limited to, programs that extend the serviceable life of assets and maintain critical capability by replacing aging and increasingly unsustainable components with modern and sustainable equipment. In addition, the SLEP itself may be designed to increase capabilities not currently realized. As the need arises in the execution year, funds in this project may be used to begin SLEPs on additional efforts. These efforts may include prototyping and technology demonstrations. Global Sensor Watch Program provides an integrated SSA Tip and Cue capability that implements a survivable architecture which provides overlapping, assured, and viable surveillance options for executing event response (demonstrated by the SSA Ops Demo), multiple level security processing of SSA data and automated cross-sensor tipping and cueing around the globe. Other efforts to support Battle Management Command & Control (BMC2) in space include developing & deploying advanced software algorithms to identify, acquire, characterize, and maintain custody of deep space (S)High Inclination Orbits(HIO); optimizing intelligence community & Missile Defense Agency (MDA) sensors to better support BMC2; developing & executing Joint Functional Component Command (JFCC) for Space exercises such as Joint Space Operations Center (JSPOC) Experimentation, Test and Training Initiative (JETTI) to test & optimize Space Control capabilities, concept of operations (CONOPS) development to increase probability of survival for blue assets, and refining requirements across space enterprise; enhancing sensor performance to close the solar exclusion gap leveraging technologies such as optical daylight tracking; and improving legacy communication paths to support bi-directional machine-to-machine sensor communications enabling a more complete BMC2 capability. Ground Based Radar Upgrades improve the sensitivity, search capabilities and CONOPS of existing SSA sensors to better support custody and fire control timelines. The current and future space domain demands that space systems be responsive to new and changing threats, and can rapidly integrate new capabilities to make our warfighting force more resilient in a contested battlespace. This agility, survivability, and rapid reconstitution must extend through the entire space warfighting enterprise, to include how we learn about the threat; develop solutions; acquire, test, deploy, train, operate and integrate new systems into the greater system of systems; and ensure our space mission force is ready to defeat a thinking adversary in a complex, multi-domain battlespace. The enterprise will use all of its elements to accelerate decision-making, prototype potential solutions, rapidly integrate decision-making tools and sustain a war-winning capability by delivering multi-domain effects in, from, and through space and cyberspace enabling battle management and resilience options to "fight through." This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver X-XX weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 1206392F and 1206398F. This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2019
• Source ID: 1203940F_7_3600_PB_2019
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2017: +$1.907M increase to fully fund Ground-Based Electro Optics Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) Phase II SLEP FY 2019: $30.522M transferred to PE 1203620F to consolidate National Space Defense Center (NSDC) funds
• Service Agency Name: Air Force

Entities

Organizations

• United States Air Force

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Cyber
• Sensors
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Force
• Artificial Satellites
• Battle Management
• Command And Control
• Deep Space
• Earth Orbits
• Ground Based
• Intelligence Community
• Situational Awareness
• Space Defense
• Space Force
• Space Objects
• Space Operations
• Space Situational Awareness
• Space Surveillance
• Space Systems
• Surveillance

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.

Technology Areas

• Cyber
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Space
• Space - Satellites
• Space - Space Objects