Abstract
Space as an operational sphere has
arrived for good times to come. The earlier we appreciate it, the earlier and
faster we will be prepared, equipped, skilled whilst organised to respond to
any incident upsetting the access and management of our national space
proficiencies. Satellite operational business has been becoming challenging day
by day due to increased democratisation of space, which has taken leaps in this
arena at both the international and national levels. This has resulted in making
space more accessible and reachable to public and private players, however,
that comes at a pricey value. Space Domain Awareness (SDA) means our
capability to examine the space settings and securely function within it. SDA
involves the tracking of space objects, understanding their actions, monitoring
space weather actions, and detecting probable threats to space activities. SDA encompasses all of the information that is essential to provide a preparedness for the space environment. It is related to
space weather conditions, natural phenomena that can disturb and disrupt
satellites as well as the tracking and identification of orbiting space
objects. Indian space capability is on dual verticals i.e., civil and military.
The Indian SDA programme, NEtwork for space object TRacking and Analysis is an
Indian space research organisation’s initiative intended to support India’s
autonomous space access and utilisation through the timely and precise transfer
of data concerning the space environment. SDA allows the monitoring of the
space environment and empowers the attribution of space events affecting space
systems. Establishing a process to regularly identify and evaluate commercial
SDA capabilities could enhance ability to conduct important national security
mission.
Introduction
Space as an
operational sphere has arrived for good times to come. The earlier we appreciate it,
the faster we will be prepared, equipped, skilled whilst being organised to
respond to any incident upsetting the access and management of our national
space proficiencies. These proficiencies with dual use applicability i.e.,
civilian/military are very expensive and exclusive, and are measured to be as
both strategic and sovereign assets. Satellite operational business is becoming
challenging day by day due to increased democratisation of space, which has
taken leaps in this arena at both the international and national levels. This
has resulted in making space more accessible and reachable to both public and
private players, however, that comes at a pricey value.
Space debris is considered as a great
risk to space assets as presently an estimated of 8,400 tonnes of space objects
of varied sizes have found their way into the orbit around the earth with
speeds up to approximately 7 km/sec (28,000 km/hr). At such speeds, one can
very well envision the consequences of the impact of any object, no matter its
size. The numbers of active satellites orbiting the earth are estimated to be
around 2,000 which will significantly increase with the launches of new mega
constellations within the next ten years. Most of these new satellites are
strategically planned to be launched in the Low Earth Orbit, which is already
the most crowded and polluted orbit. Consequently, the risk of collisions cannot
be ruled out, and the risk of accidental collisions will be compounded by the
knowledge that a satellite can be manoeuvred to impact another targeted
satellite. These dangers are becoming serious security threats, and the number
of passive control measures, such as collision avoidance manoeuvres, will
surely strengthen and intensify.1
Space
Domain Awareness
In
general domain awareness and situational awareness, both arrive from very
similar structures of actions which are ‘knowing what is going on around us’.
However, as space has become more congested, enhancement and change of posture
regarding space was very much needed. Space is considered as a ‘Domain of
Warfare’ like air, sea or land. Space Domain Awareness (SDA) means our
capability to examine the space settings and securely function within it. SDA
involves the tracking of space objects, understanding their actions, monitoring
space weather actions, and detecting probable threats to space activities. SDA
encompasses all of the information that is essential to provide a preparedness
for the space environment. It is related to space weather conditions, natural
phenomena that can disturb and disrupt satellites as well as the tracking and
identification of orbiting space objects.
Establishing SDA is an indispensable
part of any space activity. Meaningful knowledge of where space objects are
positioned in orbit, their orbital courses and their status permits operators
to commence missions securely, decrease the hazard of collisions, and avoid
intrusive actions with the space activities of other entities or nations. SDA
also means classifying potential destructive natural phenomena in space, such
as electro-magnetic interference formed by astronomical conditions and threats
posed to the spacecrafts by asteroids.2
SDA can be accomplished by utilising varied prevailing technologies, domain knowledge and services. Such technologies and services regularly comprise of tracking of space objects through ground stations, retrieving space object tracking catalogues, and the launching of space-based SDA hardware. These methods and procedures enable operative actions to realise varying levels of consciousness and alertness that are appropriate for their specific requirements and objectives.
Application
of SDA
Space is
transforming into a more contested and disputed zone and this category of
competition brings out a new theatre of operations with deliberate and
intentional coercions to different national capabilities, turning them into
easy targets and, therefore, altering the nature of space. There is no singular
end state of accomplishing SDA. The degree of awareness necessary for an
operator to reach depends on the nature of their actions and what they hope to
accomplish in outer space.
The security environment is multifaceted
and complex and is expected to remain so. There are numerous space faring
players and with space technologies and skills becoming progressively easier to
attain, it is anticipated that this number will continue to see an increasing
trajectory. Most actors are using space capabilities to better human existence
and to improve the management of resources, but the intent of some other
nations and organisations are based on self-centred missions which could be
detrimental due to vested interests.3
Satellite systems are intrinsically
fragile which makes them vulnerable and susceptible with a substantial
dependence on space arrangements and the proliferation of space agents. With
hostile intentions, such space agents, can create an unhealthy state of affairs
that if comprehended could destructively influence the normal way of life. In
other words, this combination produces a productive ground for hostile entities
to contemplate space systems as targets for disruption resultantly causing
disturbance. Contingent to the level of interference or damage created, it
could have dire consequences. Deterring anyone from threatening to disrupt a
country’s space systems must be a national strategic objective.4
However, the significant positive
potential in space gives a valid reason for the rising geopolitical competition
on earth, it is bringing substantial risks for how expansions in space perform.
Competition in space is being shaped by fragmentation and great power rivalry
and has the potential to reshape the global power map. Adversaries which seek
to exploit reliance on space and monopolise technologies and services for their
own advantage might limit the geopolitical advancements of others. Space is
also recognised as a potential warfare domain. The increasing militarisation of
space and the development of counter space technologies is evolving rapidly.
Space can be and is already being used as a tool of statecraft for enhanced
surveillance and espionage.
At present, the mainstream space
situational awareness data comes from external sensors. This may change in the
future, with increasing amounts of space navigation data being collected by
sensors such as Global Positioning Systems receivers on satellites themselves.
Such a change will possibly generate another SDA warfare attack trajectory for
a challenger by manipulating the navigation data reaching the satellite, a
variety of effects might be achieved, extending from missed data group
opportunities to complete misperception of the satellite’s attitude and orbit
regulator system. Similar confusion could be generated by deliberately
inserting optical or infra-red objects into the star cameras or infra- red
earth sensors used by the satellite to determine its orientation.5
Economic
Aspects of SDA
Situational
Awareness Platform market displays comprehensive evidence that is a valuable
source of perceptive data for business planners. On the basis of historical
data, Situational Domain Platform (SDP) market report affords key
sectors, their sub-segments, revenue and demand and supply data. In view of
technological innovations and breakthroughs of the market, SDP industry is
expected to appear as a lucrative platform for emerging investors.
Successful commercial establishments
that have shaped catalogues into government databases are doing so by
triangulating observations from a system of many smaller telescopes and radar
sites instead of depending on a handful of powerful telescopes. Commercial
companies are able to automate and decrease the operational costs of these
broad networks, and they can establish partnerships and position innovative new
technologies at a quick pace. These fast innovation series recommend that
commercial SDA operators may be able to comprehend gaps in SDA capabilities and
services and address them at a faster rate than the governments.
Accelerating commercial innovation and a
surge in international interest into tracking proficiencies emphasises the
vital need for consistent and dependable SDA data. With an intensification in operators
launching more assets into space, governments and private entities depend on
SDA data to safeguard critical infrastructure in the space domain. The
investment from an increasing number of nations and private companies involved
in SDA has seen a direct bearing on the capability to track smaller objects
with more accuracy, decrease the size of sensors needed to make observations,
and maintain a safe and predictable space domain.
The important trends like globalisation,
growth, regulations and ecological concerns have been examined and the future
projections are quite promising based on the subdivision of the market.
Global
SDA Capabilities and Initiatives
The
United States (US) operates the largest network of sensors and keeps the most
comprehensive register of space objects, though there are gaps in its coverage
and database. The system is known as the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) and
it is regulated and controlled by the military. It comprises primarily of
phased array radars mainly used for missile warning and optical telescopes,
along with a few tracking radars and a large space fence located along the
southern US. There are also two space-based tracking telescopes as part of the
SSN, the US Space Based Space Surveillance satellite and the Canadian Sapphire
satellite.6
Russia operates the second largest
network of sensors and preserves a relatively complete catalogue of space
objects. The Russian system is identified as the Space Surveillance System
(SSS), which also comprises of phased array radars used primarily for missile
warning, along with some dedicated radars and optical telescopes. Several of
the SSS sensors are in former Soviet republics and are operated by Russia under
a series of mutual arrangements with the host countries. Russia is also in the
process of upgrading and modernising its SDA capabilities with the Automated
Space Danger Warning System to track space debris and sustenance of national
security.7
Over the last few years, the private
sector has commenced evolving its own SDA capabilities. The Space Data
Association, a not-for-profit organisation shaped by commercial satellite
operators, uses data provided by members to provide improved combination
assessment and radio frequency interference services. More than a few commercial
companies are now offering commercial SDA data services from their own radars
and telescopes and others have formed their own operations centres to fuse
information from multiple sources and provide commercial SDA services. Private
sector SDA capabilities are getting refined and improving rapidly and are
expected to surpass those of the governments in the near future.
India’s
Capability in SDA
Ever
since the beginning of India’s space programme, space-based assets have played
a fundamental role in the nation’s growth story by contributing to the vital
services in the field of weather monitoring, communications, resource
monitoring, navigation etc. However, the ever increasing space object
population, including that of operational satellites, orbital debris and the
allied collision risks pose a danger to the safe and sustainable use of outer
space. The cumulative overcrowding of earth’s orbit poses an impending threat
of collisions among larger fragments of debris that could trigger a
self-sustained cascading process of further collision, known as Kessler
Syndrome. This could considerably intensify the density of space debris
population, rendering outer space inaccessible for future generations.8
Operational management of safe and
sustainable operations in outer space involves an all-inclusive approach
regarding multiple areas related to observation and monitoring of space objects
and space environment. Additionally, examination of development for space
environment, risk assessment, data exchange and collaboration. The multi domain
awareness platform will bring prompt, accurate and efficient information on the
on-orbit collision, fragmentation, atmospheric re-entry risk, cataloguing of
observational data, hazardous asteroids and space weather forecast. Accurate
orbital information from ground-based sensors is a pre-requisite for mitigation
of any collision threats to an operational space threat from other objects.9
India’s approach to space defence and
security, like many other countries, has a purpose to enter this new theatre of
operations. As India has a very progressive space programme, the need to
safeguard and defend the space assets i.e., military, civilian, or dual has
always been of paramount importance. Being a ‘question of sovereignty’, the
objective is to maintain a positive level of self-sufficiency to assure the
strategic autonomy. Indian defence forces policy considers operations in high
ground i.e., pace, integrated with no clear dividing grounds, from the ground,
through the air until outer space. Space oriented service from its origin and
having units providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command
and control, up until geostationary earth orbit, are interrelated.
Indian space capability is on dual
verticals i.e., civil and military. The Indian SDA programme, NEtwork for Space
Object TRacking and Analysis (NETRA) is an Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) initiative intended to support India’s autonomous space access and
utilisation through the timely and precise transfer of data concerning the
space environment. It also focuses on the data pertaining to threats to both in
orbit and ground infrastructure. SDA programme also provides a segment of Space
Surveillance and Tracking designed to track active and inactive satellites and
space debris.10
In view of the ever-growing population
of space objects and the recent trend towards mega constellations, SDA has
become an integral and indispensable part of safe and sustainable space
operations. For the last five decades, ISRO has been carrying out SDA
activities with main focus towards safeguarding India’s space assets.
Recognising the need for dedicated efforts to tackle the emerging challenges of
operating in an exceedingly crowded and contested space domain, Directorate of Space
Situational Awareness and Management has been established at ISRO. The directorate engages in developing
upgraded operational mechanisms to defend and protect Indian space assets
through effective coordination among ISRO Centres, other space agencies and
international bodies. To establish necessary supporting infrastructures, such
as additional observation facilities for space object monitoring, and a control
centre for centralised SDA activities. NETRA project is initiated as a first
step towards meeting this goal, its main elements include radar, an optical
telescope facility, and a control centre.11
Recently, Government of India released
the Space Policy 2023, which conveys a fused and dynamic framework to implement
the reform vision. The Space Vision Policy is aimed at augmenting space
capabilities, enabling, encouraging and developing a flourishing commercial
presence in space, derive benefits in allied areas and create an ecosystem for
operative applications of space operations among all stakeholders. As a result,
the SDA gets more involved and promises to be an indispensable part.
Space
Sustainability and Security - Role of SDA
SDA
warfare integrates a series of procedures which a space actor might follow to
attain information dominance. SDA warfare might involve three key principles.12
n To maintain the accuracy of own SDA
information.
n To degrade the accuracy of the adversary’s
SDA information.
n To avoid collateral threats.
SDA warfare activities that permanently
degrade the overall SDA capability would reduce the effectiveness of the
overall catalogue of space objects. As a result, the commercial satellites
operators would have less assurance in corroborating the warning messages they
receive, and the possibility of an inadvertent collision would increase. In
view of the many applications that satellites presently support, any reduction
in capability in the areas of navigation, communications, meteorology, etc.
could result in the loss of life of non-combatants external to the theatre of operations
which is considered illegal under the rules of armed conflict.
One of the significant issues associated
with SDA dominance is the geographic location of the sensors. It is not
difficult to find information on the locations of the US tracking networks that
are likely to be subject to surveillance.
The
Way Ahead - Integration is the Way to Go
As
the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has declared Space as an operational
domain, it has initiated the preliminary steps to intensify the cooperation, collaboration
and coordination of all allies and the space capabilities they own. As SDA
being a global domain autonomous subject, it becomes necessary to take into
account the interests and prerogative of nations to maintain operational
command and control of their assets.
New tactics, techniques, and procedures
for space are making incremental advancements towards evolving new SDA tactics,
techniques, and procedures to achieve better upstream, midstream and downstream
capabilities for operations. The completion of the new formats depends on a
variety of factors, including the modernisation of outdated hardware and
software. Integration, more than coordination, will offer the best standards to
advance the domain of security, solidity and sustainability of space. However,
the challenge is how that level of integration is implemented.13
Conclusion
As
part of the development progress, we have refined sophisticated procedures for
monitoring the health, position, and operational status of space vehicles.
However, the growth and setting up of sensors to caution and detect attacks on
them were to some extent neglected. The rapid rise in the importance and
challenges of operating in space necessitates enhancements to SDA capabilities,
including consideration of commercially available data and tools. Significant
challenges remain unaddressed with respect to consistent and systematic
assessment of commercial capabilities for space operations. In particular,
while there has been periodic evaluation and use of some commercial
capabilities, these efforts have been limited.
SDA allows the monitoring of the space
environment and empowers the attribution of space events affecting space
systems. Establishing a process to regularly identify and evaluate commercial
SDA capabilities, could enhance the ability to conduct an important national
security mission. SDA therefore becomes a key element for space deterrence. SDA
is an area that has received increased international attention in the last
decade due to the space environment becoming increasingly congested, contested
and competitive. The next 10 years will likely see further improvement in the
accuracy and timeliness of SDA services, including reducing the size of the
object that can be detected and how frequently the location of objects in space
can be monitored and updated.
Endnotes
1 nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html
2 spacelaws.com/articles/laws-relating-to-space-situational-awareness-ssa/
3 carnegieendoement.org/2022/09/01/india-s-space-priorities-are-shifting-toward-national-security-pub-87809
4 United States Space Systems : Vulnerability
and Threats, Section 3, Federation of American Scientists
5 The Global Risks Report 2022, 17th Ed, World Economic Forum
6 Brian Weeden, www.swfound.org, Space
Situational Awareness Fact Sheet May 2017
7 Globalsecurity.org/space/world/Russia/space-surveillance.htm
8 BN Suresh, Diverse Space Applications for
National Development, Indian National Academy for Engineering& Chancellor,
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
9 isro.gov.ib/IS4OM.html
10 idrw.org/isros-project-netra-indias-leap-into-space-situational-awareness/
11 isro.gov.in/ISRO/SSA/Control/Centre.html
12 Aerospace.csis.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/20190101_
Challanges toSecurityinSpace_DIA.pdf
13 McKinsey &Company, McKinsey Technology
Trends Outlook Report, 2022
@Lt Col
Amandeep Singh is a serving Indian Army Officer with distinctive
cross domain expertise. He has a Degree in Law (LLB), a Degree in Air and Space
Law, an MBA in Finance and presently selected as a Research Scholar for PhD in
Space Economy and Legislation. He has contributed through his articles and been
invited a speaker in various panels at seminars/conferences and Military
institutions.
Journal
of the United Service Institution of India,
Vol. CLIII, No. 634, October-December 2023.