Technical aspects of an International Space Traffic Management Framework

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Ancona, Elena and Guerra, Diego and Armstrong, Steven and Oliveira da Mata, Henrique and Medeiros, Claudia and Silva, Jaime and Dahlstrom, Eric (2025) Technical aspects of an International Space Traffic Management Framework. Acta Astronautica. ISSN 0094-5765 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.02.028)

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Abstract

As part of the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program (SSP) 2023 Team Project on Space Situational Awareness (SSA), a group of students, researchers, and professionals with a very diverse background, focused on proposing a global framework for Space Traffic Management (STM) [1, 2]. Present statistics indicate that more than 7,000 operational satellites coexist within the same orbital regime, together with more than 36,500 medium-sized trackable fragments of space debris. Following the last few years big constellations' deployment, and considering the ones that are scheduled for launch soon, the way satellites operations were carried out is rapidly becoming obsolete. This situation substantially increases the threat of potential collisions, emphasizing the necessity for an open and internationally coordinated STM framework. This paper introduces an international framework derived from the research conducted by Murakami et al. in 2019 [3]. It offers a comprehensive approach to addressing the STM challenges, with a particular emphasis on fostering precise data exchange, establishing channels for clear and direct communication, and encouraging international collaboration. In the current work, after some considerations on the policy and legal aspects of our proposed international framework, we present the technical features and provide a broader perspective on the reasons that led to its definition. In our analysis, we considered the vibrant scenario involving new commercial actors offering Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) services, collision risk prediction, recommendations for Collision Avoidance (CA) manoeuvres, and autonomous CA systems. The authors of this work believe that the variety and complexity of this ecosystem can only be beneficial, and by no means is the proposed framework intended to substitute those players. Instead, its goal is to fill the gaps where the current system would be incomplete. As multiple entities offer insights into space traffic and predict potential collisions among space objects, determining the most dependable source becomes a challenge when significant inconsistencies arise. Still being aware of these challenges, we want to foster collaboration within the evolving New Space landscape. Our proposed framework is designed to integrate existing suppliers rather than replace them, allowing for the seamless inclusion of their data within our system. These suppliers can continue to run their independent analysis and operations while also be contributing to, and benefiting from, the enhanced functionality within our unified system.

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