Adaptive 4D Radar for Debris Tracking

Maintaining SSA dominance requires a pivot to include a more agile, predictive, and intelligence-driven solution that can fill in geographical and time-based gaps in coverage into the space enterprise SSA effort. A novel system is proposed that combines 4D radar, AI algorithms, and onboard computing in a small SWaPC component implementation on a commercially available small satellite to demonstrate the feasibility. The proposed platform technology will address subtopic Z-EXPAND.04 (LEO Sustainability), by providing agile solutions where: 1) more small debris is detected, tracked, and custodied on orbit, 2) potential detect/track gaps from a ground system are covered to increase safety of manned space flight, and 3) onboard software can be updated as needed to enable future high-performance. Initial Operational Capability would follow a SBIR Phase III effort and commercialization plan to deploy a constellation to provide continuous initial coverage of regimes of interest out to 1500km as an additional SSA layer to planned solutions. Numerous scientific studies relating to space-based millimeter wavelength sensing and communication technologies exist, although none focused on specific detection of 1-10 cm-sized debris object detection in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This proposal offers the opportunity to combine several technologies into a low cost solution for a challenging technical problem of small orbital debris detection and tracking at agile timeframes: COTS microelectronics capable of high speed, high bandwidth multi-channel signal processing; advanced radar techniques that take advantage of small footprint/GHz compute speeds; This FPGA approach is combined with powerful computing at the edge to maintain custody of debris for further tracking (via a small constellation) or handoff to remediation assets on the ground for elimination. A small constellation that provides this service serves to maintain continuous custody, subject to sensor refresh windows.

This proposal support Z-EXPAND.04 LEO Sustainability. The sensor system will rely on existing ephemeral data of known objects and debris to compare known debris trajectories to both new detections and “no-shows” and pass that data to ground stations for inclusion into operator consoles (operated by teammate Sidus Space) and the aforementioned Space Force commercial UDL, space-track.org databases, and TraCSS as appropriate. Future developments would include utilizing the Sidus FeatherEdge AI compute within each satellite to automate database classification of debris detections as well as inter-platform orbital data sharing of Link-16 style “tracks” for continuous prediction improvement and rapid assessment of orbital anomalies; alerts could be sent to manned spaceflight assets quickly with at least some automated risk assessment embedded in the track. The solution adds an extra layer of SSA to complement potential ground-based laser systems to remove threatening small debris through on-orbit detect/track/hand off to ground-based systems. The solution may also act to reduce risk from NOAA OSC's transition to debris tracking for commercial space efforts. The principal applications of this technology for both commercial and DoD spacecraft operators are tracking objects or events for SSA to increase operational safety and maintain superior intelligence regarding potential threats (“no-shows” from predicted flight paths or cm-sized debris) through characterization and attribution. Pilot deployments could be depositing the assets at 400km in sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) for this LEO band, which accounts for 75% of all registered active satellites. Further development would include expansion of the initial constellation to cover the full 400km regime, and the inclusion of additional sensors to enable classification of objects by their composition to better predict trajectories and functionality. This system would be important for non-geocentric operations to supplement any systems that provide data on activity in this Situational. The detect/track of very small debris will act as a part of a multi-layer system-of-systems that helps protect manned spaceflight operations and eases the transition to OSC tracking with affordable capabilities that are domestically produced. US Space Force/Space Systems Command has expressed significant interest in a similar capability to ensure space access for the Dept. of Defense. Currently the global SSA market is estimated in 2024 to be $1.5B and growing to $2.6B by 2034. One key area of the market we are addressing is how regulators within the Commerce Dept will need to have on orbit assets along with other resources to monitor and track the ever growing civilian space assets and debris found in LEO, MEO, GEO and frontier orbits like cis-lunar. The commercialized solution could be provided to commercial space companies as a service, data-seeking companies such as Anthropogenic, and re-insurance companies issuing insurance policies tied to space assets.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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