Session
Weekday Session 10: Space Access
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
In addition to its primary mission, the U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS) provides orbital data and services at no cost to satellite owners and operators worldwide in the interests of spaceflight safety. We track all artificial objects in Earth orbit, generate orbital elements and forecast reentries, and publish the data on the website, www.space-track.org. In concert with our sister squadron, the 19th Space Defense Squadron (19 SDS), the data produced by the 18 SDS is used to predict close approaches to support collision avoidance by satellite operators including small satellite owners. Of note, however, neither the 18 SDS nor 19 SDS is authorized to recommend maneuver courses of action, provide advice, or tell anyone what to do in the event of an assessed conjunction.
18 SDS Small Satellite Support
Utah State University, Logan, UT
In addition to its primary mission, the U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS) provides orbital data and services at no cost to satellite owners and operators worldwide in the interests of spaceflight safety. We track all artificial objects in Earth orbit, generate orbital elements and forecast reentries, and publish the data on the website, www.space-track.org. In concert with our sister squadron, the 19th Space Defense Squadron (19 SDS), the data produced by the 18 SDS is used to predict close approaches to support collision avoidance by satellite operators including small satellite owners. Of note, however, neither the 18 SDS nor 19 SDS is authorized to recommend maneuver courses of action, provide advice, or tell anyone what to do in the event of an assessed conjunction.
