// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Space Situational Awareness
The ability to track, identify, and predict the movement of objects in space, including active satellites, debris, and potential threats.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is the comprehensive understanding of the space environment, encompassing the detection, tracking, cataloging, and characterization of all man-made and natural objects (satellites, debris, asteroids) in orbit, enabling collision avoidance, threat assessment, and safe space operations for operators and national security.
BACKGROUND
The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). It is the product of the International Space Station program and is operated by five partner space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). It is the first space station built, maintained and crewed through international cooperation and the largest human spacecraft ever constructed. It is an orbital research station, where scientific experiments in microgravity are conducted and the space environment is studied. Since 2 November 2000, it has hosted the longest continuous presence of humans in space. Alongside Tiangong, it is one of the only two currently operational space stations.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- SSA
- space domain awareness
- orbital tracking
- space surveillance
USAGE NOTE
SSA is vital for preventing collisions and ensuring the safety of space assets.