The Ability of a Small Satellite Constellation to Tip and Cue Other Commercial Assets

The Ability of a Small Satellite Constellation to Tip and Cue Other Commercial Assets

Small satellite constellations could be utilized to tip-off or cue existing Electrical Optical (EO) satellite systems such as a GeoEye class satellite. This paper addresses a specific case of this capability for the current problem of maritime domain awareness. If a constellation of small Automated Identification System (AIS) satellites, a small Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, and a large EO satellite is used for both routine and ad hoc global satellite coverage of high-interest areas, that constellation could monitor ship activities in support of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). This could be achieved over larger areas than Coast Guard or other vessels can currently cover. This would require an AIS satellite flying in tandem with a SAR to automatically detect and locate ships. The AIS data (ship ID/location/ speed/course/heading) identifies the broadcasting vessels and that data is spatially merged with the SAR data to identify all the vessels in the SAR scan. This allows detection and location of non-broadcasting vessels’ using the SAR and AIS fused data. Those non-broadcasting vessels target locations identified by the SAR image provides the tip-off target location to cue the high-res EO satellite ad hoc imagery collection to characterize these high interest vessels. This new EO imagery along with the fused AIS/SAR report could be delivered to a watch floor or an operations center to provide information on developing situations. This would enable shortened timelines for a tactical response related to the detected non-broadcasting vessels. This paper describes the specific case of utilization of small satellite capabilities in concert with existing on-orbit EO assets to address situational awareness of existing dangerous maritime conditions.