Commercial SSA Data Sources Sought by NOAA
NOAA is soliciting information from commercial satellite tracking providers on data products, services, and capabilities to support development of an Open Architecture Data Repository (OADR) for commercial SSA, or space situational awareness.
NOAA has released a Space Object Commercial Data Request for Information (RFI), which will be used to inform plans for OADR development and other acquisition activities related to commercial SSA by NOAA and other government agencies. In such studies, commercial data may be acquired, processed, evaluated, assessed for potential operational uses, and archived.
NOAA may also be interested in pursuing joint public/private partnerships to develop commercial data sources where current capabilities are not sufficiently mature. The RFI will close on March 21, 2022.
According to NOAA, the 2020’s have brought tremendous growth to the satellite industry, resulting in a large increase of commercial satellites in orbit. The 18 SPCS is finding its SSA/STM mission focused more and more on managing commercial objects, tracking approximately 5,000 active satellites and over 20,000 debris objects. These numbers are expected to continue to increase in the foreseeable future.
In response to executive branch directives, and the Government’s effort to leverage commercially available data and services, OSC is seeking information from commercial satellite tracking providers on data products, services, and capabilities to support development of an Open Architecture Data Repository (OADR) for commercial space situational awareness.
OSC's primary interest is in commercial data sources to fill coverage gaps in existing government tracking assets. The ability to track debris and other objects that are not currently well-tracked and the capability to track objects in the southern hemisphere are of particular interest.
Also of interest is the capability to task observation assets to refine orbit estimates of high-priority objects on an ad-hoc basis and the capability to track calibration satellites. Information on both current capabilities and data sources that will be available in the 2022 through 2030 timeframe is desired.
(Source: NOAA Office of Space Commerce)