Space Situational Awareness

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is defined as knowing the location and potential function of every object orbiting the earth − active or inactive − regardless of its size, its purposes, its mission and its status.

SSA includes the ability to track and understand what exactly is in orbit from either space or from the ground. It is a key to ensure the free use of space and an enabler of other space operations. By providing real-time location and status of spacecrafts, SSA is a tool to monitor these operations and conduct them more efficiently. At the same time, it helps protect space assets and operations by providing warnings of potential hazards − natural or man−made, intentional or unintentional − in a manner timely enough to allow preventive actions to be taken.