Ground Based Radar For Space Situational Awareness

Technology Roadmap Sections and Deliverables

This technology roadmap is identified as:

• 2GREAT - Ground Based Radar For Space Situational Awareness

Or as Ground-based Radar to Enable Awareness and Tracking (GREAT)

Space Situational Awareness and Tracking (SSA/T) is the operational concept to detect, identify, and track Resident Space Objects (RSOs), orbiting around the Earth. The SSA/T enterprise is comprised of ground-based and space-based sensors with a broad customer base. SSA/T originated from the need to track RSOs in orbit to support data analysis and collision avoidance of active satellite vehicles (SVs), inactive SVs, and orbital debris. As of 1 September 2023, the European Space Agency estimates about 8600 functioning SVs, over 1,036,500 objects greater than 1cm, and more than 11,000 tonnes of mass in orbit^1.

The figure below illustrates the levels within the SSA/T enterprise. Ground Based Radar For Space Situational Awareness and the SSA/T Enterprise As shown, many systems make up the architecture, each with its own technological challenges, advantages, and disadvantages.

Roadmap Overview

Artist's impression of various SSA systems comprising a full SSA architecture.<ref>“Space Surveillance and Tracking - SST Segment.” Accessed October 1, 2023. https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Surveillance_and_Tracking_-_SST_Segment. </ref>

References

[1] European Space Agency, Space Environment Statistics, Accessed 1 October 2023 <ref> https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/About_space_debris#:~:text=In%20more%20than%2060%20years,10%20cm%20in%20low%2DEarth <ref>