Recently I attended the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference. I have attended this conference before and I am always impressed by the technological revolution that is occurring in all things related to Space Situational Awareness (SSA). At this year’s conference there was also a great deal of discussion on the policy side, especially regarding the potential for the greater role that civil organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation can play.
The potential for the FAA to take on a greater role has been discussed for some time within the interagency, and now organizations such as the Satellite Industry Association, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and National Defense Industry Association are developing positions on the topic. Since the value of commercial operations in space now exceeds that of government activities, this is appropriate and it makes sense that industry should share in any solutions being developed for such a critical issue.
Intelsat has been at the forefront of promoting greater collaboration between industry and government for SSA for some time. We are founding members of the Space Data Association, whose main purpose is for satellite operators to share data promoting spaceflight safety. We are also one of the six initial members of the Commercial Integration Cell which works with the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) to ensure spaceflight safety, limit radio frequency interference, and share data on other issues of mutual benefit between the U.S. Government and commercial operators.
The FAA should take a greater role in on-orbit spaceflight safety and space situational awareness. Here are a few suggestions for how to make that happen.
- First, do no harm.
- Second, we need to consider “smart” regulation, and only an organization such as the FAA can do this:
“The FAA really should be in charge of managing what’s going on in space.” – Douglas Loverro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Police, Oct. 15, 2014 “We keep hearing (the Air Force) shouldn’t be the FAA for space, which says to me, maybe the FAA should be the FAA for space.” – Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla), author of the American Space Renaissance Act.Luckily, the leadership at the FAA understands their role to promote spaceflight in all its aspects, and doesn’t want to stifle industry. They have used terms such as “light touch” when discussing any regulatory regime. Industry should monitor this closely, and should support it in concept. Approximately 1,400 satellites in orbit – about half of them commercial or international – are about to be joined by hundreds, perhaps thousands of satellites either under construction or planned. Among them are less agile nanosats and cubesats that pose both navigational and SSA challenges. New rule sets are in order in light of these activities. Regulation needs to be appropriate to support spaceflight safety, but not limit innovation. This is a fine line, but I think the current civil and Congressional leadership understand that. We need appropriate regulation. Debris mitigation standards applied to a geosynchronous satellite may be different than those of a large constellation of nano-satellites in low-earth orbit with little room to maneuver. And with the FAA taking a leadership role in the regulatory arena, this could lead to a more rational international framework than exists today.
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- Third, rely on commercial space capabilities to solve current spaceflight safety and space situational awareness needs.
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- Fourth, and most important, begin with the end in mind.
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