Commerce Department to Meet With Satellite Operators on Space Traffic Coordination System

A senior Department of Commerce official said the agency is planning a meeting with satellite operators in July to inform an initiative to develop a space traffic coordination system.

In January, the Office of Space Commerce unveiled a draft plan for the Traffic Coordination System for Space, where spacecraft location data can be shared between commercial and military space operators to enhance situational awareness. Having access to SSA data allows operators to be proactive in protecting their satellites from potential on-orbit collisions.

Speaking at a Secure World Foundation summit, Richard DalBello, director of the Office of Space Commerce, said the meeting aims to better understand the operators’ needs that current sources of space monitoring data fail to meet, Breaking Defense reported.

The Commerce Department is also planning to hold a separate meeting with companies selling SSA data to determine how the sector might avoid being impacted by the availability of free SSA data that TraCSS would provide.