Space Situational Awareness - The Key to the Protection of Critical Assets

Cooperation was the underlying theme of the space situational awareness (SSA) panel. Given the difficult task of tracking the large number of space objects, the panelists agreed that it makes sense to practice collaboration on an interagency level as well as internationally. The task is only going to become more complex in the future due to the increasing number of space objects from launches, larger numbers of small satellites, and breakups of objects in orbit. This creates a serious threat for the space systems on which military forces are dependent. In addition to cooperative agreements between allies, there is the option of adapting missile warning systems and using them for SSA. The ultimate goal is the ability to detect, identify, characterize, track, and make predictions about space objects.