Above (Image Credit Slingshot Aerospace and NOAA): A visualization of space traffic currently orbiting the earth.
In September 2024, NOAA, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced that the initial phase of its Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) has begun delivering spaceflight safety services to a beta group of satellite operators. Now, for the first time, satellite operators are receiving basic space situational awareness (SSA) data and space traffic coordination (STC) services from the Commerce Department.
TraCSS is a modern, cloud-based IT system that provides warning notifications for satellites potentially in danger of collision. With increasing numbers of satellites and orbital debris, space traffic information and safety notifications are essential for global spaceflight safety and the long-term sustainability of the space environment.
Nine satellite operators – NOAA, Maxar, Telesat, Intelsat, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Planet Labs, Eutelsat Oneweb, Iridium, and The Aerospace Corporation – now receive validated safety notifications from TraCSS in the form of conjunction data messages (CDMs, alerts describing potential collisions). TraCSS will add satellite operators and provide more data and services as the program progresses.
The announcement marks a milestone in DOC’s work to implement the U.S. Space Priorities Framework and Space Policy Directive-3, which directed DOC to take this mission over from the Department of Defense.
“The Office of Space Commerce leads our Department’s efforts to advance U.S. leadership in the global commercial space industry, and TraCSS is a testament to U.S. leadership in safe and sustainable space commerce,” said U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves. “The Department of Commerce is building this system in close cooperation with industry partners to harness and promote commercial innovation in space. Together, we are helping to ensure the safe and sustainable growth of the space economy.”
“As space has become more congested, NOAA has risen to the challenge to prevent catastrophic collisions in space by developing TraCSS,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D.
“TraCSS represents a modern approach to spaceflight safety, integrating the latest technologies and providing on-ramps for continuous improvements that will scale into the future,” said Richard Dalbello, director of NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce. “I’m thankful for our team and partners for doing the hard work to launch the first phase on schedule.”
“The Department of Defense (DoD) is working side-by-side with the Department of Commerce (DoC) to ensure the seamless transfer of responsibility for civil and commercial Space Situational Awareness services and information,” said Performing the Duties of Associate Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Mr. John Hill. “As the DoC assumes this important mission, it will continue to have access to data collected through DoD’s worldwide space surveillance network. DoD will also continue to provide SSA services to civil and commercial users during the transition process until DoC is able to assume full responsibility for the mission. Transitioning the spaceflight safety SSA responsibilities to DoC, a civil agency, will improve support to these users and allow DoD to focus its resources on core defense missions.”
More about TraCSS
TraCSS is an agile software development program that is being conducted in several phases. In Phase 1.0, TraCSS provides CDMs for approximately 1,000 space objects six times a day. The CDMs generated by TraCSS Phase 1.0 are currently distributed to a set of beta users via the Space-Track.org website managed by the Department of Defense.
The TraCSS program has accelerated since receiving a significant funding boost in Fiscal Year 2023. Collaboration among the Department of Commerce, NOAA, and the Office of Space Commerce teams with industry enabled rapid progress from receiving an Authority to Proceed from DOC on March 5, 2024, to the TraCSS system integrator contract award later in March 2024, to achieving Authority to Operate with NOAA Office of the Chief Information Officer in August 2024, and the successful fielding of TraCSS 1.0.
The September 2024 release marks the start of the beta test phase of the project, as the TraCSS team continues to field successive upgrades over the next year, leading to Phase 1.4 by the end of September 2025. Planned improvements include the establishment of a dedicated TraCSS.gov website and the integration of additional commercial SSA capabilities. The Office of Space Commerce (OSC) will also work with the Department of Defense to migrate satellite operators from Space-Track.org to TraCSS.
Learn more about TraCSS at space.commerce.gov/tracss.
Slingshot Aerospace To Create New User Experience for TraCSS
On November 25, 2024, NOAA awarded a contract to Slingshot Aerospace, Inc., of El Segundo, California, to provide the website and user experience, or Presentation Layer, for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS).
Under the contract, Slingshot will work with the TraCSS system integrator to launch the TraCSS.gov website in preparation for user migration from space-track.org during fiscal year 2025.
“This contract award represents the next major step forward in our effort to provide spaceflight safety services to global space operators,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “By leveraging Slingshot’s commercial, off-the-shelf solutions, we expect to have TraCSS.gov online and ready to sign up public users by late 2025.”
“We are delighted to welcome Slingshot to the team to help us bring TraCSS to the entire world,” said Richard DalBello, Director of NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce. “Their visualization tools will make our technical data accessible via a modern interface reflecting the latest innovations in software and user experience design.”
Slingshot Aerospace is a space technology company focused on improving space safety, sustainability, and security. Its space traffic coordination product, Slingshot Beacon, will provide the starting point and framework for the TraCSS presentation layer. Beacon is a spaceflight coordination and communication platform designed to reduce the risk of on-orbit collisions by providing satellite operators with a centralized tool to exchange data and coordinate maneuvers.
TraCSS’s modern, cloud-based IT system provides safety notifications of potential in-space collisions to satellite operators. As an agile software development, it is being released in several phases.
TraCSS Phase 1.0, launched in September 2024, is generating and delivering conjunction data messages (CDMs) to a beta user group representing approximately 1,000 operational satellites. TraCSS CDMs are currently distributed via the Space-Track.org website managed by the Department of Defense. In the future, TraCSS CDMs and other services will be delivered via TraCSS.gov.
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