What is essential for achieving Space Situational Awareness?

Achieving Space Situational Awareness (SSA) fundamentally relies on the ability to detect and track potential threats in space. This encompasses understanding not only friendly satellites and operations but also monitoring adversarial activities and potential hazards to space assets. By supporting the detection and tracking of threats, one ensures a comprehensive understanding of the space environment, which is critical for making informed decisions to protect national interests and assets in orbit.

Effective SSA involves the integration and analysis of information from various sources, enabling operators to respond proactively to emerging threats. This capability is vital for both defense and strategic planning, as it allows for timely identification of possible risks, whether they stem from natural events like space debris or hostile actions from other nations. Thus, supporting detection and tracking of threats is a cornerstone of maintaining a robust space operations framework.