[Satellite TODAY Insider 06-16-11] The U.S. military made significant progress in its efforts to expand its Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Sharing Program in 2010 and will accelerate the establishment of data-sharing agreements with commercial companies and other countries in 2011, according to the Space Security 2011 report published June 14 by Space Security Index (SSI).

    The study, SSI’s eighth annual Space Security report, summarized civil, commercial and military space activities that had an impact on the security and long-term sustainability of outer space. The developments covered in the report were related to areas such as the physical and electromagnetic space environment, the efforts to develop policies and laws for space activities, commercial space, and space support for terrestrial military operations and national security.

Among the study’s findings, SSI reported that the amount of orbital debris cataloged from the intentional destruction of a Chinese satellite in 2007 surpassed 3,000 objects.

    In Europe, the European Union’s proposed international Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities has been revised and presented for international consultation as European telecommunications satellite broadcasts continue to be jammed from Iran. SSI also pointed to the increased secrecy surrounding the launch of the U.S. military’s X-37B test vehicle, “raising questions about its precise mission and potential capabilities,” the report said.

            The SSI project was funded by Secure World Foundation (SWF), The Simons Foundation, Project Ploughshares, the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.