The Air Force on Feb. 21 declassified a space situational awareness (SSA) system known as the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness (GEO SSA) system.
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) chief Gen. William Shelton disclosed the system at the Air Force Association’s (AFA) air warfare symposium in Orlando, Fla. The GEO SSA system will be a space-based capability operating in the near-geosynchronous orbit regime supporting U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) space surveillance operations as a dedicated Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensor, according to an AFSPC fact sheet.
The system will support Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC SPACE) to collect space situational awareness data, allowing for more accurate tracking and characterization of man-made objects. It will have a clear and unobstructed vantage point for viewing resident space objects orbiting earth in a near-geosynchronous orbit without the disruption of weather or atmosphere that can limit ground-based systems.
Data from the GEO SSA will contribute to timely and accurate orbital predictions, enhancing the Air Force’s knowledge of the geosynchronous orbit environment and further enabling space flight safety to include satellite collision avoidance. Geosynchronous earth orbit is approximately 22,300 miles from earth.
Orbital Sciences
[ORB] is the primary contractor for GEO SSA. The Air Force said the system is projected to launch in 2014 aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV medium-plus 4,2 booster configuration from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Orbital on Feb.21 deferred requests for comment to the Air Force. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA].