Rear Adm. Brian Brown, deputy commander at JFCC Space. Photo: JFCC Space

[Via Satellite 06-09-2016] The U.S. Air Force is planning to formalize the creation of an intentional space for commercial satellite operators within the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). The pilot program for this presence, known as the Commercial Integration Cell (CIC), started in June 2015 and lasted until February this year. Originally planned for six months, the Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space), which runs JSpOC, extended the prototype CIC by a few months to compensate for delays that stemmed from the original setup and structure. Now, having completed the program, JFCC Space says it found the collaborative environment to be helpful for both government and commercial operators, and that a more permanent program is being planned.

Six satellite operators — Intelsat, SES Government Solutions, Iridium, DigitalGlobe, Eutelsat, and Inmarsat — participated in the CIC pilot program. They aided in boosting JSpOC’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) through the sharing of ephemeral data, such as spacecraft position and direction, and participating in different exercises.

While the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) can observe satellites in orbit, it is far more accurate to use data supplied by operators. The CIC provided a way to incorporate that data.

“One of the things we worked with the CIC on was how to most effectively and efficiently share owner/operator ephemeral data between their operations centers and JSpOC so that we would produce the highest, most accurate and efficient conjunction assessments,” U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Brian Brown, deputy commander at JFCC Space, told Via Satellite. “This would reduce the number of false alarms, and increase the accuracy of those assessments.”

False alarms are problematic for satellite operators, as they would prefer not to maneuver spacecraft unless the risk of a collision with Resident Space Object (RSO) is significant. Better data improves the accuracy of these assessments, resulting in less wasted time and resources. In addition to sharing data, the CIC examined differences in the processes by which commercial operators and government conduct conjunction assessments.

Brown said the CIC also looked at ways for industry and government to work together on addressing electromagnetic interference.

“Almost everyday, just based on how different networks and things are set up in the satellite communications environment, we deal quite often with RF interference. With our commercial partners we were able to help smooth that process through, help understand how communications will work between us and them, and how they can help us understand that environment and mitigate those things. We frequently observe inadvertent interference, which the CIC helps us work through,” he said.

The CIC pilot program used a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) as its main legal framework, enabling industry partners and government to share technology and information on a no-cost basis. Now that a more permanent CIC is being planned, a new legal framework will be necessary. Brown said DOD worked with operators in the CIC to create a framework for the next steps that all parties are pleased with.

“Probably the most important outcome of the pilot was an actual concept of employment — a document that outlines what the CIC will do, the bridge between commercial industry and the government/DOD, and how we will use that to make the space environment safer,” he said. “That concept of employment was developed. It was given to our industry partners, they were happy with it, and it set the framework for the next phases of the CIC.”

Industry has largely viewed the CIC as a positive development, with the collaboration leading to more clarity between commercial operators and government.

“This is an exceptional approach to tackle very important topics for the industry, especially when it comes to promoting responsible space stewardship through enhanced SSA,” Scott Scheimreif, executive vice president of government solutions at Iridium, told Via Satellite. Scheimreif said Iridium felt it was a natural fit to support the CIC because the company has many government customers, and it would also improve the space environment. He said this is particularly beneficial as the operator plans to refresh its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation with the Iridium Next series, which consists of 66 satellites and six more in-orbit spares, with launches starting this year.

Prior to the CIC, JFCC Space could work with other operators on SSA through its parent command, US STRATCOM, which has more than 60 such agreements with operators and space agencies around the world. However, Brown said the process of a small organization like JFCC Space reaching out to so many different operators was overwhelming, limiting the potential benefits.

“We didn’t necessarily understand their culture, their language, how they operated — all those kinds of things. It’s a fairly daunting task to keep that all in perspective. By entering into an agreement and pulling together the CIC, we now have entities on the watch floor who understand the commercial environment. They understand the network, the contacts, the language. For us they help translate and make those sharing agreements we have even more effective,” he said.

Brown added that the CIC is able to make contact with a broader grouping of the commercial industry even beyond those 60 agreements. This includes connecting with new LEO SmallSat companies that plan to orbit constellations of dozens to hundreds of small satellites in the coming years.

“They are also covered under the CIC and also attend our owner/operator talks. One in particular, OneWeb, was at our last/owner operator talk and we had discussions,” said Brown.

JFCC Space can help new satellite operators through the CIC to design orbits, understand how to responsibly put their satellites into space, and craft long term deorbit plans to prevent creating space debris, Brown said. DOD can also notify others if something does go wrong so they can adapt in order to keep the space environment safe.

“Operating a LEO constellation is very complex. It requires significant levels of domain expertise and a superior understanding of constellation management. This requires dedication from a trusted team and an appreciation of how activities need to be executed, in a congested environment,” said Scheimreif. “Due to the surge in companies launching SmallSats and CubeSats into LEO, we feel that understanding the complexities of managing a network will ultimately improve SSA, which is paramount to the success of existing and future satellite constellations, as well as the space industry as a whole.”

Brown said improving conjunction assessments over the next two to three years will be a principal goal of the future CIC. With more operators joining the program, he said that even with the number of satellites in orbit climbing, the space environment could ultimately become safer with better information sharing.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have more satellites up in space. If you set the right conditions up with owner/operators, you have the right agreements for sharing ephemeral data, and you have a good way to bring that into your system, that actually lowers the uncertainty of where things are in space and where they are going. The more you lower uncertainty, the better your conjunction assessment analysis will be and the fewer false alarms you will make,” said Brown.