Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS)

Abstract

The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration Satellites will demonstrate key functions of missile tracking with space sensors. STSS will enable early capability assessment of the Warfighters` need for a highly available early missile tracking capability from space providing an operationally suitable means of global persistent surveillance and engagement. Capabilities that will be assessed by STSS include detecting and acquiring ballistic missiles; tracking ballistic missiles and their deployed objects; performing autonomous acquisition-to-track handover within a satellite; performing tracking handover to a satellite from a ground cue; performing uplink and downlink of mission, health, and status data both directly and via crosslink between two satellites; reporting ballistic missile and intercept event to close the fire-control loop; filtering reports to Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BM) to include only those that involve sub-orbital objects or orbital objects on an approved inclusion list; providing near real-time object data to external users; and providing a System Performance Evaluation Tool model. As such, the demonstration of these activities will support future capability development and will enable meeting a Warfighter`s need from the Prioritized Capability List to include track missile threats and contacts of interest; provide post-launch sensor cueing; integrate, fuse and correlate sensor data; engage/re-engage ballistic missile threats; and provide system modeling tools. The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration Satellites provide two on-orbit satellite assets with visible and infrared sensors in low earth orbit for testing with other BMDS elements. These two satellites provide valuable risk reduction for acquisition, tracking, and discrimination functionality to include stereo data fusion, cueing radars over the horizon and over-the-horizon fire control. The program is demonstrating the functions and interfaces required for space data delivery to the BMDS, validating the data quality necessary for interceptors to launch and/or engage on STSS sensor data. The two Demonstration satellites are operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year from the ground station processing center at the Missile Defense Space Experimentation Center (MDSEC) with a government and contractor team. On-orbit, STSS Demonstration Satellites will continue to collect data within the satellites` field of view. Data collection and analyses continues in FY 2011 and FY 2012 with the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) to view all available Targets of Opportunity (TOOs) to include participation with other BMDS target and flight tests that provide demonstration of the MDA Space Layer capabilities and allow collection of future system risk reduction information. MDA Element testing is based on an integrated, comprehensive, and phased test program. Element systems, subsystems, and components are tested early in development and are necessary prior to conducting BMD-System level testing. The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Element Level testing is funded as part of a capabilities development program and reflected in this Program Element (PE) submission. The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration Satellites demonstrate key functions of space sensors. MDA will continue planning for and conduct integrated BMDS intercept tests based on track data passed from the STSS Demonstration Satellites through Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) to Aegis, GMD, or other interceptors. The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demo Analysis Center (SDAC) enables independent government analysis of STSS Demonstration Satellites data. The Center infrastructure includes network communications, encryption/decryption devices, and software tools for mission planning and simulation, and data management tools. This infrastructure enables test engineering and analysis support for Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration Satellites data validation and verification, BMDS testing, and collection of scientific data for refinement of BMDS-relevant models. The Near Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE) satellite is operated from the Missile Defense Space Experimentation Center (MDSEC) and will continue collection of hyper-temporal short wave infrared and visible data from Targets of Opportunity (TOOs) for assessing early launch detection and tracking capability. The Near Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE) satellite also carries a Laser Communication Terminal to conduct communication experiments with the German Terra SAR-X satellite. These communications experiments test low earth orbit satellite-to-ground and satellite-to-satellite laser communications capabilities for potential incorporation into the Ballistic Missile Defense System. The laser communication experiments will be conducted on a non-interference basis with other MDA missions. Lessons learned and data gathered from the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration program and the Near Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE) program will provide valuable information for modeling and simulation activities in assessing the capability of a low earth orbit constellation to complement sensor coverage and missile detection and tracking capabilities provided by Advanced Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) sensors.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2012
• Source ID: MD12_0603893C_4_0400_PB_2012

Tags

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• Directed Energy
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Space
• Space - Satellites
• Space - Space Objects