ACE - Algorithmic Conjunction Elimination

ABSTRACT: The Joins Space Operations Center (JSpOC ) is the central node of the US military tasked with maintaining up-to-date space situational awareness (SSA). This includes maintaining a list of on-orbit assets and their associated orbital information. JSpOC operators allocate resources on the space sensor network (SSN) to observe resident space objects. While ensuring that these data are current, the JSpOC must also forecast space object positions via propagators that ingest telemetry information and estimate future positions. These propagated positions are compared to identify any situations where two objects are within a pre-defined minimum-safe distance. The goal of the collision detection and avoidance mission is to identify and avoid conjunctions. As part of our proposal Algorithmic Conjunction Elimination (ACE) SBIR project we will: (1) perform a computational-complexity focused analysis of the conjunction filtering problem; (2) develop a algorithm that is optimal and nearly linearithmic for conjunction filtering; (3) develop an approach to analyzing effects of orbital parameters on filtering algorithms; and (4) develop a prototype to demonstrate our implementation. BENEFIT: ACE has direct application to current Air Force programs including the JSpOC Mission System (JMS), WebISSA, and RAIDRS. The cost estimation and conjunction algorithms have application to commercial satellite operations and networks as well.