If there is one overall theme that comes along with space situational awarness (SSA), it's one of cooperation. Like with any great issue, multiple parties working together for one common goal is the best approach.
USSTRATCOM defines SSA as "the requisite current and predictive knowledge of space events, threats, activities, conditions and space system (space, ground, link) status capabilities, constraints and employment -- to current and future, friendly and hostile-- to enable commanders, decision makers, planners and operators to gain and maintain space superiority across the spectrum of conflict."
A wordy definition indeed, we hope this site will help you form an SSA definition of your own.
As Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, said at the National Space Symposium:
"One way that international cooperation enhances SSA is the information exchange with satellite owners and operators to prevent future collisions." While it's been said that SSA is a focus only for the Department of Defense, Rose explained that the State Department also plays a crucial role because international cooperation is a necessity. It should be noted that the President’s National Space Policy recommends U.S. government departments and agencies to collaborate with other nations, "to improve our shared ability to rapidly detect, warn of, characterize, and attribute natural and man-made disturbances to space systems."
It should be noted that the United States sees opportunities for cooperation on SSA with other nations around the globe. Rose explained back in April that the European Space Agency, the European Union, and individual ESA and EU Member States have been working together to ensure that "SSA systems contribute to a more comprehensive situational awareness picture to ensure the safety, stability, and security of the space domain. "
With OnOrbitWatch.com, we want to continue the theme of collaboration and discussion.
