Australian Defence Space Situational Awareness Activities

GPCAPT Darren May

Director Defence Space Coordinating Office

Agenda

• Defence Strategic Guidance

• Defence Space Policy

• Current SSA Capabilities

• Planned SSA Capabilities

• Future SSA Architecture 2

Defence Strategic Guidance

3

• “To ensure security of our space-enabled capabilities, the Government will strengthen Defence’s space surveillance and situational awareness capabilities.” DWP16 2.55

• Australia’s existing SSA capability relies on access to US-sourced and processed SSA information. Existing arrangements will be strengthened through the C-band radar and space surveillance telescope projects. Defence will also examine other sensors to expand Australia’s SSA sensor coverage in the future. (IIP16 1.24)

• $A1bn - $A2bn over the next decade

http://www.defence.gov.au/WhitePaper/

Defence Space Policy - SSA Defence Strategic Policy Statement 2016

• Defence needs to have a thorough awareness of the space environment, including but not limited to: • Orbital fundamentals and use • Electromagnetic spectrum use • Global space and missile launch events • Space debris • Space missions • Satellite characteristics and performance data • Space weather

Current SSA Capabilities

• Australian Space Operations Centre (AUSSpOC)

• C-band Space Surveillance Radar

Australian Space Operations Centre

(AUSSpOC) • Functions:

• Satellite overflight analysis and reporting • Launch, de-orbit, re-entry warning • GPS performance reporting to ADF users • Space weather warnings • Support to ops/exercise planning • Sensor tasking coordination

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C-Band Space Surveillance Radar

• Radar is now operational in NW Aust • Jointly operated and managed by RAAF and USAF • Part of US Space Surveillance Network • Tracking radar – needs to be cued • Optimised for LEO

C-Band Radar- HEH – Jul 14 7

Planned SSA Capabilities

• Space Surveillance Telescope (in acquisition) • Future Indigenous SSA Sensors (Concept phase) • SSA Mission Management System (Concept phase) • Space surveillance radar replacement (Concept

phase)

Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) • Developed by DARPA, now owned and managed by USAF • Currently located in New Mexico, USA • Joint RAAF/USAF project to relocate and operate from north-

west Australia • Will be part of US Space Surveillance Network (SSN) • Optimised to detect and track objects in GEO • Final Operating Capability planned in 2021

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SST western US vs. Australia GEO coverage

New Mexico Western Australia

Central Australia

0 30 60 90 120 150 -30 -60 -90 -120 -150 Longitude

15

10

5

# s

yste

ms

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Future Indigenous Sensors

• Considering a range of technologies, including: • Optical tracking with laser ranging • Passive radar • Over the Horizon HF Radar • Space-based space surveillance

• Will choose option/s that best meet sovereign Australian requirements and fill SSN capability gaps

Future Sensor Options Electro-Optic Systems Satellite Tracking

• Optical telescope with laser ranging capability • Commercially owned and operated by EOS–Space • Defence assessing operational utility with respect to

contribution to the US Space Surveillance Network • Phase 1 - Mt Stromlo-based system – passed

JSpOC NDDP testing • Phase 2 – improved capability now located at

Exmouth, Western Australia • Due to be fully operational by Q2 CY17 • Will be subject to Military Utility Assessment by USAF once fully operational • Ongoing contract to provide data to Defence

B1

B2 B3

B4

EOS Exmouth Facility

LEO Telescopes 1m Aperture Thermal imager for day/night ops 800W, 1064nm Laser System

Deep Space Telescopes 0.7m Aperture

• Defence is researching passive radar for space surveillance using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) • Uses third party transmissions as an energy

source, and the MWA as the receiver. • Concept demonstrated in 2012 with

detection of the moon. • Surveys the entire sky. • DSTG used the technique, with novel processing methods in 2015

to detect the ISS. • Different from previous passive radar work because it directly

measures azimuth, azimuth rate, elevation, elevation rate, range, and range rate.

• Initial orbit determination can be achieved using as little as 60 seconds of data.

Future Sensor Options Passive Radar

SSA Mission Management System • Automation of existing AUSSpOC functions

• Currently involves many manual processes • Management of Australian SSA sensors • Independent analysis of Australian SSA Sensor

data • Currently rely on SSA product from JSpOC

• Independent mission assurance for objects of specific interest to Australia • Anomaly assessment • Threat assessment and warning • COA decision support

• Contribute to catalogue maintenance and conjunction assessment as part of wider coalition effort

Australian SSA Program

14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26 26/27 27/28 28/29

JP3029 Ph 1 – C-Band SSR

IOC/FOC

JP3029 Ph 2.1 – SST Relocation/build/SSN Integration FOC

IOC

JP9352 Ph 1 – SS Radar replacement IOC

JP9351 Ph 1 – ADF SSA Indigenous Sensors IOC

JP9350 Ph 1 – ADF SSA Mission System IOC

LEO

HEO

MEO

Over the Horizon Radar

(OTHR)

GEO

Space Surveillance

Telescope

LEO – Low Earth Orbit

MEO – Medium earth Orbit

GEO – Geosynchronous Earth Orbit

HEO – Highly Elliptical Orbit

C-Band Space Surveillance Radar

Laser Tracking

Potential Future SSA Architecture - Coverage

Passive Radar

AUSSpOC

OTHR

SST

C-Band Sensor Management Unit

US Space Surveillance Network

Overflight analysis Conjunction Assessment Launch detection/tracking Reentry Prediction Intelligence analysis Threat Assessment & Warning

Potential Future SSA Architecture Other CSpO Partners

Allied SpOCs Laser Tracking Passive

Radar

Summary

• Defence recognises the threat posed by the increasingly contested nature of the space domain

• Robust SSA is an essential element in maintaining space mission assurance in this contested environment

• Australian Defence plans to invest up to $2bn over the next decade in space surveillance and SSA capabilities to help maintain assured access to space for Australia and its allies