[Senate Hearing 117-802]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-802
SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, SPACE TRAFFIC
MANAGEMENT, AND ORBITAL DEBRIS: EXAMINING SOLUTIONS FOR EMERGING
THREATS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND SCIENCE
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 22, 2021
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov
_________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
54-373 WASHINGTON : 2023
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota ROGER WICKER, Mississippi, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii ROY BLUNT, Missouri
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada MIKE LEE, Utah
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia Virginia
RICK SCOTT, Florida
CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming
David Strickland, Staff Director
Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
George Greenwell, Policy Coordinator and Security Manager
John Keast, Republican Staff Director
Crystal Tully, Republican Deputy Staff Director
Steven Wall, General Counsel
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND SCIENCE
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado, Chair CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona, TODD YOUNG, Indiana
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico MIKE LEE, Utah
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia RICK SCOTT, Florida
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts JERRY MORAN, Kansas
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on July 22, 2021.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Hickenlooper................................ 1
Statement of Senator Lummis...................................... 4
Statement of Senator Blumenthal.................................. 44
Statement of Senator Scott....................................... 46
Statement of Senator Cantwell.................................... 51
Statement of Senator Young....................................... 52
Witnesses
Karina Drees, President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation....... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Kevin M. O'Connell, Founder and CEO, Space Economy Rising, LLC... 10
Prepared statement........................................... 12
Dr. Marcus J. Holzinger, H. Joseph Smead Faculty Fellow,
Associate Professor, Ann & H. J. Smead Aerospace Engineering
Sciences Department, University of Colorado Boulder............ 17
Prepared statement........................................... 18
Paul Graziani, Co-Founder, Analytical Graphics, Inc., and Chief
Executive Officer, COMSPOC Corp................................ 22
Prepared statement........................................... 33
Tom Stroup, President, Satellite Industry Association............ 36
Prepared statement........................................... 38
Appendix
Response to written questions submitted to Karina Drees by:
Hon. Maria Cantwell.......................................... 57
Hon. Edward Markey........................................... 58
Hon. Ben Ray Lujan........................................... 58
Hon. Raphael Warnock......................................... 59
Response to written questions submitted to Dr. Marcus J.
Holzinger by:
Hon. Maria Cantwell.......................................... 60
Hon. Kyrsten Sinema.......................................... 61
Response to written question submitted to Tom Stroup by:
Hon. Raphael Warnock......................................... 62
Hon. Shelley Moore Capito.................................... 64
SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS,
SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, AND
ORBITAL DEBRIS: EXAMINING SOLUTIONS FOR EMERGING THREATS
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THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Science and Space,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John
Hickenlooper, Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
Present: Senators Hickenlooper [presiding], Blumenthal,
Cantwell, Lummis, Young, and Scott.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HICKENLOOPER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO
Senator Hickenlooper. We call this meeting to order. Please
be seated. Good gracious. In my opinion, it should be us
standing for you and you should all be aware--well, several
things.
One, even though there's not a Full Committee room of
people, you can see we are Zooming this too, I think, the
majority of the Commerce Committee which is, as you can see, a
large committee are looking in. I think every staff--there's a
staff member from every Commerce Committee and a number of
other Senators watching, not to mention millions at home or
not.
I also should give fair warning that this is my first
committee hearing that I get to chair as the Chair of the Space
and Science Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee. So you'll
have to take your own risks with that.
When they told me I was going to get to chair this
committee, my Communications staff said I should not say it,
but I was over the moon in that sense of----
[Laughter.]
Senator Hickenlooper.--this is something that's important
not only to Colorado but something that I have had a passion
and interest in for a long time.
It's ironic that this first meeting is on Space Trash
because it sounds somewhat dismissive and yet, as you all know,
this is one of the most important things that we're facing and
I think there is by necessity and what I hope comes out of this
meeting is a sense of urgency around that.
I think this really is a pivotal time and the potential for
catastrophic accidents if we continue with the status quo is
real and I think demands action on the part of this committee.
This discussion today is going to be examining Space
Situational Awareness, SSA. I'll try and go back and forth
between saying Space Situational Awareness and SSA so we don't
get buried in acronyms, Space Traffic Management, STM, and then
Managing Orbital Debris.
Space Situational Awareness, of course, protects valuable
Federal and commercial assets. It allows us to track and notify
satellite operators of optical orbit and when there are issues.
We need space situational awareness to coordinate the space
traffic management and coordinate satellite operator
activities, exactly what they're doing, and make sure that we
avoid collisions through appropriate notification.
A number of reports estimate over 4,000 active satellites
in orbit, but I think the more perplexing numbers are roughly
or well over 100 million pieces of orbital debris that threaten
the entire space ecosystem.
I could go down a long list but GPS, weather forecasting,
telecommunications, all manner of scientific research rely on
satellites in orbit. Safe environment in low orbit is critical
to almost every facet of the space industry and its potential
growth, and as activity in space is increasing, we see
increased satellite launches for both scientific research and
for commerce.
This committee has and will continue its critical oversight
role in space traffic management, STM, space situational
awareness, SSA, and mitigating orbital debris.
We have numerous examples of collisions in space, some of
which have been catastrophic. 2007, a Chinese weapons
demonstration left over 3,000 debris objects moving through
space at high speeds. 2009, U.S. satellite collision with
Russian satellite created 1,800 debris objects at least, and
since 1999, the International Space Station conducted 29 debris
avoidance maneuvers, and there were three in 2020 alone.
Certainly I think, and you all understand this, we can't
wait for the next collision to occur before taking action. The
groundwork has begun. 2018 Space Policy Directive 3, SPD-3, if
you're taking notes at home, made a few things clear on who's
responsible for what in addressing this problem.
The Department of Commerce was to assume all civil space
situational awareness duties from the Department of Defense.
NASA was to update its Orbital Debris Mitigation Standards, and
the Departments of Commerce, Transportation, the FCC were to
update their licensing processes for satellite launches.
In Fiscal Year 2021 Appropriations, Commerce Committee took
further action. They doubled the budget of the Office of Space
Commerce and I use that word ``doubled the budget'' with a
certain amount of significance and reflecting the urgency and
the critical nature of what we're talking about today, required
pilot program for Space Traffic Management Data base.
The work of Ranking Member Wicker, who will be here, if
he's not here yet but will be here, I'm sure staff is watching,
and Chairwoman Cantwell, who will be here eventually, as well,
on the Space Act is commendable.
The Act codifies Commerce Department STM duties in SPD-3,
establishes the Centers of Excellence to advance scientific
policy and research in SSA, as well.
The Space Act passed the Commerce Committee twice, recently
passed the Full Senate in the U.S. Innovation Competition Act,
USICA, also called the Endless Frontier Act, my preferred name,
clearly demonstrated that we do need swift action and that part
of that immediately is to enact USICA and the Space Act into
law.
The Biden Administration is still implementing aspects of
SPD-3. So I think continued committee oversight is appropriate
and important. We need to maintain our leadership in space.
Every one of you understands that.
A big part of this must include space traffic management.
The lack of international rules of the road is a serious
problem. The regulatory regimes demand attention. They demand
serious attention.
The European Union, Russia, China, they're all developing
their own STM frameworks, which again how we are able to lead
on this and make sure that we set an appropriate framework so
that our interests aren't overruled I think is critically
important. We need to recognize the importance to our space
interests in this. So we need to make sure these writings of
regulations are from the outset.
Other issues, obviously international liability law when it
applies to negligence but would not necessarily apply to a lack
of response to a collision alert. There's a significant amount
of R&D necessary to modernize our space situational awareness
systems. Collision alerts could be inaccurate, and I think that
again this just brings back the urgency of tracking and
constant tracking that needs to be for all objects.
There's limited ability of spacecraft to maneuver and so
that underscores the importance of both SSA and STM and
noticeably Space Act dedicates funding to SSA and R&D.
The Department of Commerce has full support of the
subcommittee to carry out its STM and SSA duties swiftly and
certainly we look forward to hearing testimony from the witness
panel on issues about how to advance U.S. leadership in space,
how to protect Federal and commercial interests with space
traffic management.
Again, I re-emphasize how grateful we are for you to take
time here today.
We have witnesses today. I take parochial privilege to
recognize first Professor Holzinger from the University of
Colorado in Boulder. He has been a thought leader on STM and
SSA and all manner of space-related topics. He led the 2019
Office of Space Commerce Workshop of SSA at the NIST Campus in
Boulder.
We also have Karina Drees of Commercial Spaceflight
Federation. Commercial space companies are represented by
Spaceflight Federation. We have a number of companies in
Colorado, but these companies are all over the United States.
This is truly broadly a national issue and she can speak on
industry activity with Federal agencies, in-space servicing of
satellites, benefits to society of safe access to low earth
orbit. We've seen some examples of that in recent days.
Then we have Kevin O'Connell of Space Economy Rising. He
was Director of the Office of Space Commerce under the previous
Administration. His views on U.S. leadership focus on space
safety sustainability.
Then Paul Graziani of COMSPOC Corporation, that's C-O-M-S-
P-O-C, a company focused on SSA and STM, will discuss threats
and challenges in space environment.
And then last Tom Stroup, President of Satellite Industry
Association, represents commercial satellite companies. Again,
there are a number of Colorado companies but really a number of
companies all over the country that are represented by the
Satellite Industry Association.
So with that, I'll resume my position of being over the
moon and the opportunity to kick this off. I promise never to
make that pun again.
I'd like to recognize Ranking Member Senator Lummis from
Wyoming for her opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. CYNTHIA LUMMIS,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING
Senator Lummis. Well, thank you, Chairman Hickenlooper, and
I love your tie. I think it's absolutely appropriate. He has
worn it for this special occasion, our first hearing, and
really looking forward to working with you on this topic.
This is going to be a fun committee because of the
bipartisan nature of space, because of the developments we're
seeing just in the last week, and we're really very excited to
join you in addressing some of the issues we're going to begin
discussing today.
So welcome, panelists. I'm so pleased that this is our
first hearing topic. It's timely and important. Space Traffic
Management, Space Situational Awareness, and Orbital Debris, I
have no problem being identified as the space junk lady or the
trash lady,----
[Laughter.]
Senator Lummis.--the space trash lady. I think this is an
important topic for our time.
It's just great to be Ranking Member on this subcommittee.
The space sector is evolving so quickly. The civilian flight to
the edges of space that occurred this week and over the past
few years, the number of satellites and spaces increased
dramatically as companies have begun to launch mega
constellations, just wonderful, exciting time for me to be
involved in this topic.
The fact is the space around earth is becoming congested
and the problem's only going to grow. There are more than 4,000
satellites in orbit right now, 1,200 of those were launched in
2020, and we have already surpassed that number in 2021. It's
estimated that 46,000 new satellites could be launched in the
next few years.
In addition to working satellites, Department of Defense is
tracking 27,000 pieces of space junk. This junk poses huge
risks to our assets in space. Even the smallest pieces of
orbital debris, I've learned that even paint flecks, can and
have caused serious damage. Each collision creates even more
debris. So this is a problem that compounds on itself.
More than just tracking and managing orbital debris, we
must look for ways to prevent it in the first place and for
companies launching satellites and mega constellations to help
with solutions to take out the trash and get rid of the junk.
The innovation that is creating this problem is exciting,
but the government must take the lead on SSA, STM, and policy
to prevent and remove orbital debris.
The previous Administration understood the importance of
this mission and how the changing nature of the space industry
necessitated moving some of this responsibility away from the
Department of Defense. In 2018, the Trump Administration
published Space Policy Directive 3 to put the responsibility of
SSA and STM in the hands of the Office of Space Commerce.
Congress appropriated funds to the Office of Space Commerce
to create an open architecture data repository to improve SSA
and STM. In 2020, the National Academy of Public Administration
released a study recommending the Office of Space Commerce to
be selected to conduct the SSA/STM Mission.
I'm concerned that we're now 3 years after SPD-3 was
published and the Commerce Department has been slow to develop
the Open Architecture Repository that is desperately needed.
Instead, it has commissioned more studies to re-examine the
already-answered question of which U.S. Government agency is
best suited to take on the task.
I would add that I'm also concerned that the Administration
has not announced a director to take over the Office of Space
Commerce.
I hope that our hearing today with our distinguished
panelists will help illuminate the urgency of getting the data
repository up and running and provide us with information and
ideas of how to work with the private sector to tackle this
growing issue.
So thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, panelists, for
being here. I yield back.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Senator Lummis. I
appreciate your comments but also all your time and effort
being the Ranking Member of this subcommittee.
Now I think we go to--I know that--well, let's go with your
opening statements and we'll start with Ms. Drees.
STATEMENT OF KARINA DREES, PRESIDENT,
COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT FEDERATION
Ms. Drees. Thank you.
Chair Cantwell, Chair Hickenlooper, Ranking Member Wicker,
Ranking Member Lummis, and Distinguished Members of the
Committee, thank you for inviting the Commercial Spaceflight
Federation, CSF, to present our members' views on Space
Situational Awareness and the importance of space safety to a
sustainable future for the United States in orbit and beyond.
CSF is the leading national trade association for the
commercial space industry with more than 85 member companies
and organizations creating tens of thousands of high-tech U.S.
jobs focused on building a growing space economy supporting
science, academia, business, and government.
The U.S. commercial space industry is leading the world
today thanks in part to the public/private partnerships this
committee has repeatedly supported over the years and continues
to support.
As a result of private sector innovation, the U.S. is
seeing a marked increase in both the number of launches and the
number of satellites deployed in orbit, providing critical
capabilities, including broadband internet, earth mapping, and
environmental monitoring.
Ensuring a global commitment to space safety and space
sustainability has never been more important. Space situational
awareness represents the most pressing issue to address today
as access to accurate and timely tracking data is essential to
ensuring continued safe operations in space for all users.
CSF fully endorses recommendations by both the Space Force
and NAPA to transition unclassified SSA activities to the
Department of Commerce and acknowledges that this committee has
also long supported DOC assuming this mission.
DOC has commenced developing the Open Architecture Data
Repository or OADR to collect and integrate government and
commercial data into a new database and widely distribute it to
space users. This is a great first step.
CSF recommends DOC to staff the Office of Space Commerce
with experts in the field to iterate the system from a
prototype through a successful operational system. Delays to
this implementation could create additional uncertainty for
both government and commercial users.
We encourage Congress to provide the necessary financial
resources to the Office of Space Commerce to implement this
mission.
We also recommend the government offer free SSA data tier
while ensuring it's not competing with the private sector for
more advanced analytical services. This approach represents a
commitment to space safety while providing commercial companies
the opportunity to develop innovative tools that will advance
our understanding of space operations.
Distinct from SSA, Space Traffic Management encompasses the
regulatory policies designed to ensure responsible behavior in
space.
Today, the FCC serves as the primary driver of these
requirements for U.S. licensed satellite systems. As with SSA,
the NAPA Report recommends that DOC assume the leading role
with STM.
As the largest consumer of commercial space data in the
world, the U.S. remains in a unique position to dictate
reasonable STM and orbital debris standards but only if it
applies this requirement equally to all companies seeking to
serve the domestic market.
In addition, newly developed STM rules must continue to
encourage both safe operations and rapid innovation. This
balance is critical to prevent satellite systems to simply
forum shop to license in foreign administrations without the
same rules to sidestep U.S. regulations, leaving an incomplete
picture of orbital operations and reducing transparency.
CSF recommends the FCC modify its rules to require any
company that serves the U.S. market fully comply with U.S.
orbital debris rules to improve global activities while
leveling the playing field for companies licensed in the U.S.
CSF further recommends DOC partner with NASA to leverage
NASA's technical expertise in developing more effective
technical standards, particularly for orbital debris
mitigation. NASA has deep institutional knowledge on safe space
operations that would benefit the Department of Commerce.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today. I
look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Drees follows:]
Prepared Statement of Karina Drees, President,
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
Chair Cantwell, Chair Hickenlooper, Ranking Member Wicker, Ranking
Member Lummis, and distinguished members of the Committee--thank you
for inviting the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) to present our
members' views on space situational awareness and the importance of
space safety to a sustainable future for the United States in orbit and
beyond.
CSF is the leading national trade association for the commercial
space industry, with more than 85 member companies and organizations
across the United States. Founded in 2006, CSF is focused on fostering
a sustainable and growing space economy that democratizes access to
space and space capabilities for scientists, students, civilians,
businesses and decision makers. CSF members are responsible creating
tens of thousands of high-tech U.S. jobs driven by billions of dollars
in private investment.
The U.S. commercial space industry is leading the world today,
thanks in part to the public-private partnerships that this Committee
has repeatedly supported over the years and continues to support. We
are grateful for your ongoing commitment to expanding and maturing this
important industry, which is a key element of U.S. technological
leadership and global competitiveness.
As a result of private sector innovation, the U.S. is seeing a
marked increase in both the number of launches from the United States
and the number of satellites--which provide critical capabilities,
including broadband internet, earth mapping and environmental
monitoring, and many other important services--deployed to orbit. In
this domain, our competition is, largely, China. With the U.S. now the
center of both launch capability--leading the world in commercial
launch market share--and the space services market, the importance of
ensuring a global commitment to space safety and space sustainability
has never been more important.
While much attention is paid to new commercial satellite systems
and so-called satellite constellations, it is important to note that
such systems are predictable and well-conceived. Indeed, the largest
contributors of space debris to this point have been generated by
derelict state-owned or non-commercial rockets, and through the testing
of anti-satellite weapons--not from commercially-licensed launch
vehicles or emerging commercial satellite systems. In this sense,
satellite constellations are similar to cars on a dirty highway--it is
important to find ways to clean up the highway and ensure it is clean,
not simply regulate the cars that are passing over it. At the same
time, U.S. satellite operators have a history of responsible on-orbit
operations, and this model of U.S. operations needs to be adopted
worldwide. I am pleased to be here today to outline these efforts and
to provide our recommendations to the Committee.
Space Situational Awareness
Space Situational Awareness (SSA) represents the most pressing
issue to address today, and access to accurate and timely tracking data
is essential to ensuring continued safe operations in space for all
users. The U.S. Space Force 18th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) does an
outstanding job collecting data from U.S. government and commercial
sensors worldwide to track and catalogue over 26,000 \1\ objects. SPCS
supports U.S. government spacecraft operations and publicly releases
unclassified tracking data for spacecraft and debris as small as two
inches in diameter \2\. SPCS also provides spacecraft operators, both
foreign and domestic, with Conjunction Data Messages (CDMs), that
indicate whether the probability of collision between two objects is
greater than 10-4.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://www.spaceforce.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/
Print.aspx?PortalId=1&ModuleId=
489&Article=2129325
\2\ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/
orbital_debris.html
\3\ that have (i) a time of closest approach within 72 hours, (ii)
a probability of collision greater than 1/10,000 (1e-4), and (iii) a
miss distance less than 1 km. https://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/
download.do?attachment_key=6212177
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To better align agency focus, the Space Force and independent
technical authorities, including the National Academy of Public
Administration, have recommended that SPCS transition unclassified SSA
activities for non-U.S.-government users to a separate entity;
specifically, the Department of Commerce (DOC). Space Policy Directive-
3 (SPD-3) issued further guidance for this transition.
CSF fully endorses this recommendation, and acknowledges that this
Committee has also long supported DOC assuming this mission. The SSA
mission is separate and distinct from the regulatory activities
performed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and should be managed by a separate
civilian agency. The Department has commenced on developing the Open
Architecture Data Repository (OADR) to collect and integrate government
and commercial data into a new database and widely distribute it to
space users. This is a great first step. CSF has supported the
Department of Commerce's efforts to establish a dynamic, flexible, and
scalable approach to civilian SSA and STM, and we are eager for DOC to
quickly transition from a study phase into an operational phase for
this effort.
Recommendations:
1. The Department of Commerce should rapidly transition from a study
phase into operations for the OADR system. While it is
important to develop a system that accurately and
comprehensively ingests and distributes tracking data,
additional delays to this effort could create additional
uncertainty for both the U.S. government and commercial users.
We encourage Congress to provide the necessary financial
resources to the Office of Space Commerce to complete this
mission.
2. In providing SSA data, the government must offer a free data
tier, while also ensuring it is not competing with the private
sector for more advanced analytical services. This approach
represents a commitment to space safety, while also providing
commercial companies the opportunity to develop innovative
tools that will advance our understanding of space operations.
Space Traffic Management
Distinct from SSA, Space Traffic Management (STM) encompasses the
regulatory policies designed to ensure responsible behavior in space.
Today, the FCC serves as the primary driver of these requirements for
U.S.-licensed satellite systems. As with SSA, the NAPA report
recommends that DOC assume the leading role with STM.
Importantly, as noted by the recent National Science Foundation
JASON report, it would be prudent to restrict or apply significantly
stronger requirements and scrutiny to large satellite systems, or
constellations, operating above 600 km. This is because debris at this
altitudes will remain in orbit for centuries or longer, and the risk
associated with passive debris removal is much higher than with lower
altitudes. While DOC is the appropriate agency to propagate and
maintain a STM regime, it should consult with a technical authority
such as NASA to develop the requirements to ensure they are grounded in
reasonable engineering analysis and take into account different orbital
regimes and risk assessments.
Any newly developed STM rules--which can only come once a full SSA
approach is implemented--must continue to both encourage safe
operations and rapid innovation. This balance is critical as other
countries, primarily China, plan to deploy thousands of satellites to
space in the coming years and routinely demonstrate a lack of concern
for space sustainability. Overly restrictive STM rules in the U.S.
would serve only to hurt U.S. commercial competitiveness and national
security, while both literally and figuratively leaving space for China
to fill. Satellite systems will simply ``forum shop'' to license in
foreign administrations without such rules in order to evade U.S.
regulations, as has historically been the case with most satellite
operators.
Indeed, any new U.S. regulations on orbital debris will be undercut
by foreign-licensed systems that serve the U.S. market but are not
required to abide by FCC or other U.S. Government orbital debris rules.
As it stands, U.S. licensed systems must adhere to these regulations,
but foreign licensed systems that seek and obtain U.S. market access do
not. This regulatory asymmetry perversely incentivizes satellite
operators to ``forum shop'' for countries with more lenient orbital
debris requirements, as nearly all satellite operators have done. While
U.S.-licensed companies are required to provide data on the health of
their satellite systems, foreign-licensed systems operating in the U.S.
are not--leaving an incomplete picture of orbital operations, and
reducing transparency. This regulatory gap both reduces the efficacy of
any current or future U.S. orbital debris mitigation policies and
provides a preference for foreign systems over domestic systems.
If the Congress wishes to take any effective action on this matter,
it must eliminate this regulatory asymmetry. Otherwise, the U.S. will
never lead in space safety regulations worldwide. As the largest
consumer of commercial space data in the world, the United States
remains in a unique position to dictate reasonable STM and orbital
debris standards, but only if it applies those requirements equally to
all companies seeking to serve the domestic market.
Recommendations:
1. FCC should modify its rules to require that any company that
serves the U.S. market must comply with U.S. orbital debris
rules. This requirement would significantly improve global
orbital debris activities, while leveling the playing field for
companies licensed in the United States.
2. DOC should partner with NASA to leverage NASA's technical
expertise in developing more effective technical standards.
NASA has deep institutional knowledge on safe space operations,
through its Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) and
Conjunction Assessment and Risk Analysis (CARA) program office
that would benefit the Department.
______
Appendix A
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation's (CSF)
FY 2022 Commerce, Justice, & Science Appropriations Priority Requests
Agency: Department of Commerce
Account: National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information
Service, ORF
Office of Space Commerce
FY22 CSF Request: $49M \4\ / FY21 Enacted: $10M / FY22 PBR: $10M
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ The $49M top line number, and $20M for SSA data and service
buys, are derived from the NAPA study's budget runout for OSC for
FY2022.
Justification: Space commerce and commercial space applications are
experiencing rapid transformation and growth. The Department of
Commerce, through the Office of Space Commerce, has the opportunity to
further these trends, promoting growth through the expansion of the
space economy. OSC can also be at the forefront of sustained U.S.
leadership in best practices for operating in space. It is critical
that balanced investments occur in space sustainability in order to
protect the operational environment. Commercial services exist, which
the Office can lean on to protect investments in space by both the
government and commercial entities.
Requested Report Language: The recommendation includes $49,000,000
for the Office of Space Commerce, in order to provide appropriate
resources for the office's mission to promote the American space
industry as well as fund the Space Traffic Management Pilot Program,
which a Congressionally-directed NAPA study determined the office as
the appropriate entity to manage this initiative. At least $20,000,000
of the recommendation shall be used to purchase commercially-available
space situational awareness data and services from the U.S. private
sector. We further recommend that OSC avoid paying FFRDCs to develop
redundant capabilities already available from the commercial sector.
______
Appendix B
More details on some of the benefits the commercial space industry
bring to the American people:
Climate change is an existential threat to our way of life
and the commercial space industry is playing a critical role in
addressing this crisis effectively. The commercial space
industry is helping tackle the Satellites in space are
essential to successfully confronting the challenges we face
from climate change. Spacecraft built and launched by America's
commercial industry provide remote sensing data that allow
scientists to better understand our changing planet and enable
informed climate-related decision making by governments,
industries, and individuals around the world.\5\ To learn more
details about how the commercial space is stepping up, please
see the link in the associated footnote below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/540686-space-is-
critical-to-climate-if-you-cant-measure-it-you-cant
The commercial space industry is combining innovation,
private capital, and meaningful competition to lower the cost
and increase the access to high-speed broadband Internet for
tens of millions of Americans living in underserved areas. \6\
To learn more details about how the commercial space is
stepping up, please see the link in the associated footnote
below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-
broadband-internet-20190725-xdqcejglzvcoflsfja5ii7jz34-story.html
The commercial space industry is advancing science through
human-tended experiments on commercial vehicles. Experiments
that explore novel physical and chemical phenomena in
weightlessness; explore astronomical events; develop
instrumentation; study biological adaptation to spaceflight;
develop medical procedures and equipment for future long-
duration spaceflight; and make observations in the mesosphere
and lower thermosphere will deliver superior science with an
expert human performing the experiment in the spacecraft. While
automation will suffice for selected experiments, the time is
now to ensure we achieve the best science in the best manner
possible. Human-tended suborbital experiments flying with the
new commercial reusable suborbital spaceflight industry are now
possible and are vital to best advance science and
technology.\7\ To learn more details about how the commercial
space is stepping up, please see the link in the associated
footnote below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ https://spacenews.com/op-ed-advancing-science-through-human-
tended-suborbital-experiments-on-commercial-vehicles/
The commercial space industry is providing unprecedented
access to hands on STEM education opportunities for K-12
students. How a 2nd-Grade Class Sent a Science Experiment to
Space. ``Any school district now that affords football can
afford spaceflight.'' \8\ To learn more details about how the
commercial space is stepping up, please see the link in the
associated footnote below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/science/blue-origin-school-
experiment.html
America's space enterprise is currently undergoing a
renaissance space, led by the commercial space industry. Over
the past decade, U.S. commercial space companies have raised
$24.1 billion in private equity that has radically increased
access to space, enabled distributed networks of small
satellites, and laid the foundation for emerging new industries
in low Earth orbit, including commercial space stations and
free-flyers, and in-space manufacturing.\9\ Even as the rest of
the economy struggled financially during the pandemic,
commercial space companies remained one of the few bright spots
for the U.S. economy in 2020 and 2021. To learn more details
about how the commercial space is stepping up, please see the
link in the associated footnote below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ https://spacecapital.docsend.com/view/v7n5255rnz3hm743.
Senator Hickenlooper. Great. Thank you.
Mr. O'Connell.
STATEMENT OF KEVIN M. O'CONNELL, FOUNDER AND CEO, SPACE ECONOMY
RISING, LLC
Mr. O'Connell. Thank you.
Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Lummis. Thank
you for the invitation to return to the subcommittee to talk
about the critical issue of space debris.
Mr. Chairman, in my prepared statement, I've actually
updated the committee on some of the most exciting developments
in the space economy. In short, we see the space economy
accelerating and diversifying very quickly.
Space activities already contribute an estimated $5
trillion annually to the U.S. economy and that number is
absolutely growing.
Second, our appreciation of the value of space in our lives
is changing. We increasingly recognize space as a key element
of, if not the backbone of the 21st Century economy.
So space will fuel ag-tech, clean-tech, ed-tech, and other
innovations while deepening our understanding of changes on
this planet and enabling exploration and habitation of outer
space.
Many states and other countries are exploring how to
leverage space for economic growth, talent development, and
innovation, and I offer this background, Mr. Chairman, only to
describe what is really at risk if we do not deal promptly with
the space debris challenge.
As I have testified before, space debris threatens the
astronauts aboard the International Space Station, billions of
dollars of existing space investments, and the growth of space
commerce.
The NASA SpaceX launch of astronauts to the ISS in April
was flawless, save for a near miss with a hunk of space debris.
Canada's robotic arm in the ISS was punctured by a piece of
debris in May. These calls are too close.
Space debris policy discussions actually date back to the
Reagan Administration and have been an increasing priority for
the last four Administrations. An increasing number of
organizations are vocal on the problem and the need for action.
Space Policy Directive 3, as has been mentioned, recognized
the urgency of this problem and directed a whole of government
approach to creating new paths for space safety. It
acknowledges the historic role of the Department of Defense and
the need to shift to a civil space traffic management system,
given growing security concerns in space and a parallel growth
in commercial space activities.
It also recognized the critical importance of our
international space partners. A key tenet of SPD-3 was the need
to modernize the Nation's SSA architecture and to leverage
commercial capabilities that already exist in the market.
Communications, cloud-based data management, analytics, and
other technologies that have helped innovate in many, many
other industries can be leveraged here immediately.
Meanwhile, entrepreneurs have developed new tools to
mitigate risks to space systems and to promote continuing
investment in innovation. Debris detection and new ways of
characterizing the space environment are key while others are
working with autonomy, machine learning, active debris removal,
and others to improve space safety.
The open architecture approach that has already been
discussed will allow new tools to be incorporated very quickly.
Beyond improved collision avoidance, firms are already
developing new services as part of the emerging space safety
industry.
One complicating factor is how quickly the debris threat is
changing, given projections of new space objects and more
complex missions over the next decade. U.S. Government efforts
should focus on how to quickly acquire, validate, and implement
these services.
We are not alone in our space pursuits nor the need to deal
with the problem. The United States and its allies routinely
discuss these issues in many different forums. Not everyone is
onboard, however. The uncontrolled re-entry of a Chinese Long
March 5b rocket in May, the second such occurrence, had the
world on edge about whether it might damage property and kill
people.
Russia held up progress at the United Nations on the long-
term sustainability guidelines until they were finally passed
with global consensus in 2018.
There is no doubt that if longstanding American leadership
in space safety falters, these countries will step in. The
space component of China's Belt and Road Initiative is already
designed to lock up emerging space partners and this will be no
exception.
Mr. Chairman, I was asked to speak specifically to the role
of the Commerce Department on these matters based on my recent
role as the Director of the Office of Space Commerce. Since
space will play a growing role in the 21st Century economy, the
Commerce Department is uniquely positioned to play key roles on
space and space commerce.
The congressionally directed NAPA Report, as has already
been mentioned, endorsed the roles of Commerce and the Office
of Space Commerce in managing a variety of technical projects
and partnerships against the challenge of orbital debris.
As the committee may also recall, the Office of Space
Commerce was established over 30 years ago as the Executive
Branch advocate for the U.S. commercial space industry. Given
that mission and the importance of the commercial space
industry to our economy and our national security, I believe
that the office must be elevated to the Office of the Secretary
where it can fully engage departmental leadership.
Finally, Senators, I want to express my personal thanks to
this committee for the Space Preservation and Conjunction
Emergency Acts of 2020 and 2021.
The committee recognizes the complexity and urgency of the
space debris problem and the need for intense and focused
action.
The provision to create a center or perhaps centers of
excellence for SSA are especially welcome given the importance
of additional research in this area.
With that, I'll conclude my remarks and I'll look forward
to your questions.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. O'Connell follows:]
Prepared Statement of Kevin M. O'Connell, Founder, Space Economy
Rising, LLC (Former Director, Office of Space Commerce)
Good morning, Chairman Hickenlooper and Ranking Member Lummis.
Thank you for the invitation to return to the Subcommittee to talk
about this important issue. Space debris and how we mitigate its
potentially damaging effects on the space economy, our security, and
our international partnerships was a top concern of mine while serving
as the Director of the Office of Space Commerce at the Department of
Commerce. It remains a top concern of mine now even in private life and
within my new business and academic pursuits.
The Rise of the Space Economy
Let me start with the opportunity. There has been incredible
progress in the space economy since I testified before this
Subcommittee over two years ago, fueled by a world-class U.S. space
industry and a dynamic ecosystem of entrepreneurs, private finance and
insurance, and other participants. U.S. government agencies like NASA,
NOAA, and the Department of Defense are shifting acquisition models to
encourage and take advantage of commercial space developments, as well
as space partnerships from London to Tokyo.
In short, the space economy is accelerating and diversifying.
Technological breakthroughs in space-based communications are allowing
competition with terrestrial fiber and facilitating competitive
telephone and Internet service where no fiber exists. Artificial
intelligence is transforming a crush of satellite imagery data into
useful economic information. More accessible and lower-cost launch
opportunities combined with small satellite developments are allowing
entrepreneurs to try new ideas and adapt them to quickly bring to
market. An imminent wave of in-space servicing activities--inspection,
refueling, and repair--will further improve the economics of space
activities.
Back here on Earth, there's dramatic growth in private sector
finance of space activities, including special purpose acquisition
corporations (SPACs), as well as a range of entrepreneurial activities
designed to disrupt traditional commercial space services or invent
wholly new ones. An even newer cluster of entrepreneurs is focused on
training and caring for future space travelers as the United States,
with bipartisan support and some of our allies, heads toward a
permanent presence on the Moon.
Entrepreneurial activities are focused on improving on existing
capabilities, like communications, remote sensing, and launch, while
others are inventing new capabilities in areas like space
manufacturing, space medicine, and edge computing and cybersecurity for
space systems. Another cluster of entrepreneurial activities seeks to
create the infrastructure for training, housing, and equipping the next
wave of space travelers and to provide infrastructure for sustainable
life and normal economic activity on the Moon. As we have marveled
about private space travel over the past two weeks, commercially driven
concepts like reusable launchers and satellite servicing will make
space even more affordable and competitive.
Our understanding of the value of space is changing. Aside from our
excitement about space travel, we are quickly moving from a general
lack of awareness about the importance of space to a place where space
is increasingly recognized as a key element of, if not the backbone of
the 21st century economy. Space-based activities already contribute an
estimated $5 trillion in value to the U.S. economy, and that number is
growing.
Let me give you one key example. A recent on-line headline noted
``all companies are space companies now!'' Beyond the tremendous
innovation we are seeing within the space community, we are also seeing
non-space companies begin to experiment with their own ideas for
leveraging space. Drawing upon ``space as a service'' business models,
companies from many different economic sectors are designing new
approaches for monitoring resources and increasing productivity,
especially given developments in space-based remote sensing, Internet
of Things (IoT) sensors and high-speed communications. We are at a
point not unlike the advent of desktop computing in the late 1960s and
early 1970s.
To say it another way, space is the platform that will fuel AgTech,
CleanTech, EdTech, and other innovations, while deepening our
understanding of developments on this planet and enabling exploration
and habitation of outer space. Many States in our great Nation as well
as many other countries are exploring how to leverage space for
economic growth, talent development, and innovation.
The Challenge of Space Debris
These exciting space developments sometimes tempt us to think that
all of this is automatic, that the conditions for success are locked
in. Today's discussion is about the immediate problem of space debris
and the need for focused U.S. government and private sector attention
to the problem.
Let me provide a couple of examples: the April 2021 NASA and Space
X launch of Astronauts to the ISS was flawless, save for a near miss
with a hunk of space debris. It was the potentially deadliest sign of
the urgency of dealing with the space debris problem. In late May, NASA
and the Canadian Space Agency announced that a piece of space debris
had punctured Canada's robotic arm aboard the International Space
Station; the arm is used for transporting Astronauts during spacewalks
and repair missions and for deploying scientific experiments.
Senators, nobody wins a game of ``chicken'' against space debris.
These close calls are too close. Aside from the threat to human life,
growing space clutter threatens U.S. and allied investments in space as
well as the growth of space commerce. Many of the growing commercial
benefits I discussed earlier could be slowed or eliminated if, for
example, operators have to add fuel or protective materials to avoid
space junk. Business operations can be affected dramatically by a
collision.
As this Committee knows, this is not a new problem, nor a partisan
one. National policy discussions about this problem date back
continuously through the Trump, Obama, Bush, and Clinton
Administrations, with the first mention of space debris as a national
policy matter dating back to the Reagan Administration. Long a
discussion confined to the space community, space debris has gained
widespread attention. Numerous U.S. government and private
organizations, including NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Board, Secure
World Foundation, the Space Safety Coalition, the Satellite Industry
Association and others have highlighted the urgency of this very
complex problem.
The Need to Advance Innovative Solutions
The space activities we are witnessing today are the pinnacle of
American science and engineering, and the best of U.S. government
leadership and investment and the efficiency of the private sector.
While space debris is a serious and immediate problem, there is no
reason why we cannot leverage these same national capabilities to
create effective new solutions and the birth of a new space safety
industry.
There are at least four tools in our toolkit for mitigating the
space debris problem:
avoiding the creation of new debris
improving our awareness of the space environment
improving communications and warnings among all space
operators, and
active debris removal.
While U.S. government investments in these areas vary greatly,
there is a growing recognition of the roles that academia and the
private sector can play in providing solutions. Commercial technologies
for data management, analytics, and visualization that often apply in
other disciplines need to be applied here, quickly, and commercial
companies are developing new sensors and other unique tools to address
this problem. I will say more on that below.
One of the complexities of the space debris problem is how rapidly
it is changing. Launch operators CEOs like ULA's Tory Bruno and Rocket
Labs' Peter Beck have expressed concern about launch window limitations
because of space congestion, and hardly a week goes by without a
prominent near miss between active satellites and debris, or between
debris objects. If we create solutions for 2021, they will also need to
be pertinent to the space environment of 2025 and beyond. Continuous
innovation will be needed to mitigate this challenging problem.
The Growing Role of the Private Sector
Space Policy Directive 3, Space Traffic Management (June 2018),
recognized the urgency of the space debris problem and directed a whole
of government approach to creating solutions. It recognized the need
for investments in science and technology to improve our understanding
of the space environment. It recognized the historic role of the
Department of Defense in providing public space safety information, and
the need to shift to a civil space traffic management model given
growing security complexities in space and the rapid growth in
commercial space activities. It recognized the critical importance of
international partnerships in the interest of space safety and
sustainability.
These aspects all speak to the importance of continuing U.S.
government roles in areas like research, governance, national security
and foreign policy considerations, and our international obligations
under the Outer Space Treaty. The strategic and economic importance of
space assets demand constant focus on protection and freedom of action
in space, which largely falls to the United States Space Force and U.S.
Space Command.
Space Policy Directive 3 also recognized the need to quickly
modernize our national technical approach to improving space traffic
management, mainly through improving space situational awareness. This
was to be accomplished through creation of an open architecture data
repository, where data, starting with DoD's ``authoritative catalog''--
information derived from classified sources but pertinent to space
safety--could be managed, fused, analyzed, visualized, and disseminated
in combination with a wide range of civil and commercial data sources.
The repository was never seen as the ultimate goal, however: it was
envisioned as a source of more timely and precise information for space
operators, but also as a key source of information to inform new
policies to promote space safety and sustainability.
Enter the private sector. As the value of space has grown, space
operators and entrepreneurs have worked together to develop tools to
mitigate risk to their systems and to promote continuing investment and
innovation. Companies like ExoAnalytics, LeoLabs, and NorthStar Earth
and Space have developed new and different ways to detect debris and
other activities in multiple orbits; companies like COMSPOC, Slingshot
Aerospace, and others are working to provide a continuously updated
picture of the space environment for decision-making and channels for
increased communications between space operators. Yet other companies
are working on how to leverage autonomy, machine learning, and
satellite beacons to confront this problem.
Beyond collision avoidance, companies are providing or planning
advanced services for space operators like maneuver planning, orbit
optimization, inspection, servicing, and even active debris removal.
During a Department of Commerce industry day held last Fall, over 200
commercial firms provided ideas about how to quickly provide solutions
to address the space debris and related challenges.
Common to all of these companies is their leverage of state-of-the-
art cloud computing, communications, advanced analytics, and other
advanced technologies, and a mindset of anticipating customer needs,
continuous recapitalization of their capabilities, and innovation.
These and many others are the early participants in an emerging space
safety industry. Aside from the obvious space safety benefits, the open
architecture approach will create new services in other domains like
the space insurance industry, which will have more data against to
assess risk for different constellations and orbits. This improved
knowledge will create a climate of predictability to encourage
continuing space investment and innovation.
Speaking of investment, private finance has played an outsized role
in fueling the space economy. A June 2021 Space Angels report cites
almost $200B of private investment in over 1500 companies during the
past decade. Financial institutions are taking a much more detailed
look at the ingredients associated with a successful space company: the
technology is only part of the story, equal in part to the management
team, effective customer outreach, financial projections, and others.
As the space economy grows, new financial mechanisms designed to
support firms at all stages of growth are emerging, and space
investment is increasingly accessible to individuals. Longer-term
concepts like space banks and commodities exchanges are gaining
attention as new ways to improving investor confidence.
The Changing International Landscape
We are not alone in our incredible space pursuits or in the need to
deal with the space debris problem. It is a problem that all space-
faring nations must consider.
The United States and its allies routinely discuss these issues in
many different forums. NASA works alongside other global space agencies
in the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee; the Department
of Defense considers them in the Schriever Wargame and in the Sprint
Advanced Concept Training activities, which include commercial
participants. During my time as Director of the Office of Space
Commerce, we had routine and technical discussions about orbital debris
with our Commonwealth partners, with the European Commission, European
Space Agency, and the European Space Surveillance and Tracking
Consortium, the Japanese Cabinet Office, and many others. The Space
Enterprise Summit, co-hosted with State Department in Summer 2019,
included representatives from many of these organizations and focused
on the role of international government and business partnerships in
addressing the problem.
Not everyone is on board, however. The uncontrolled reentry of a
Chinese Long March 5B rocket in May (the second such occurrence) had
the world guessing where it would land, whether it would harm people or
damage property, and even whether they Chinese government cared about
the recklessness implied by their space-faring behavior. Senator Mark
Kelly expressed surprise during a Senate hearing earlier this year that
neither Russia nor China responds to notices of possible collision
issued by the Department of Defense. Russia single-handedly held up
progress at the United Nations on the Long-Term Sustainability
Guidelines, a set of 21 internationally agreed technical, policy,
regulatory and other measures for space safety, for a year until they
passed in 2018 with global consensus. As a further sign of their
unwillingness to cooperate, Moscow and Beijing have avoided signing the
Artemis Accords while they pursue a separate, joint lunar base.
There is no doubt that if long-standing American leadership in
space safety falters, these countries will step in. As the U.S. and
other governments work to establish new ``rules of the road'' for
space--where we're mostly starting from scratch--the private sector is
likely to provide the first, practical examples of how to operate
safely in space. However, the space component of Beijing's Belt and
Road Initiative is already designed to lock up emerging space partners,
and increased involvement in space situational awareness and space
traffic management will be no exception. Russian and Chinese proposals
in this area are more government focused and less likely to welcome
U.S. commercial participation. They may also be exclusionary in other
ways to U.S. interests. The U.S. and its allies need to ensure that
emerging space countries have alternatives to the onerous terms of
Chinese infrastructure deals, whether in space or on the ground.
In short, American leadership on space safety--which we have
enjoyed for five decades--is at risk unless we avoid bureaucratic
dawdling and fail to adequately resource a range of space safety and
sustainability initiatives. The loss of leadership will have important
strategic and economic consequences.
Role of the Commerce Department
I was asked to comment specifically on the role of the Commerce
Department in this area. As the Committee may recall, the Office of
Space Commerce was established over thirty years ago as the Executive
Branch advocate for the U.S. commercial space industry. Advocacy can
take many forms, such as highlighting emerging commercial investment
and technology areas, encouraging greater U.S. government leverage of
commercial capabilities, helping break regulatory logjams for
companies, identifying anti-competitive market behaviors abroad, and
others. The Office routinely works with other Commerce Department
organizations on issues like cybersecurity standards (NIST), space
economic statistics (BEA), space weather and the commercial weather
data pilot (NOAA), encouraging minority participation in space
enterprise (MBDA), international advocacy for the U.S. space industry
(ITA), and others.
If the Committee agrees with my assertion that space is a key
enabler of the 21st Century economy, I don't know how we maintain our
leadership and strategic advantage without a strong space and space
commerce focus at the Commerce Department. That places a premium on
having the Office interact regularly with Departmental leadership and
with senior leaders throughout the rest of the Department.
Those who question the role of the Commerce Department in helping
manage the space debris challenge, in concert with other Federal
agencies, fail to recognize the tremendous policy and technical
contributions of NOAA--which ensures the safe passage of exquisite
weather and research satellites every minute of every day and manages
the Nation's space weather program--but also the National Institutes of
Standards and Technology, the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration, and otherwise brings highly relevant
experience to oversight, regulation and industry relations. The
Congressionally-directed National Academy of Public Administration
study on Space Traffic Management published in August 2020 strongly
endorsed the roles of the Commerce Department and the Office of Space
Commerce in managing a collaborative network of U.S. government,
industry, and international partners against the challenges of orbital
debris. And to provide best practices and evaluate standards for
encouraging responsible behavior in space.
It is my opinion that both the advocacy and the space debris
missions are so important that the Office cannot successfully achieve
them from deep within NOAA. The Office should be elevated to the Office
of the Secretary, (returned to its original home, actually) and
provided funding consistent with the magnitude and importance of these
tasks. Further, sufficient resources should be provided to the Commerce
Department and other Federal Agencies consistent with the urgency of
the overall space debris challenge and its consequences, as I have
described above. As necessary, funding should be directed to maximum
commercial purposes of data, analytics and other services within the
open architecture context described above.
Academia's role is also growing in importance, given the great
complexity of the orbital debris problem and its rate of change. Since
departing Commerce, I have been participated in the activities of MIT's
Space Enabled Group, led by Dr. Danielle Wood and affiliated with MIT's
Media Lab. Space Enabled has been part of an academic-industry project
sponsored by the World Economic Forum to develop a Space Sustainability
Rating for industry to assess, on a voluntary basis, factors such as
the choice of orbital altitude and the ability of systems to be
detected and identified from the ground. Professor Moriba Jah's work at
the University of Texas on AstriaGraph--another system designed to
track specific objects in space, is another example of pioneering work
worthy of expansion and adoption into a scientifically rigorous and
open architecture approach to space safety.
Finally, Senators, many of the themes I have mentioned in this last
section of my prepared statement are consistent with the Space
Preservation and Conjunction Emergency (SPACE) Act of 2020, as
initially introduced by Senator Wicker and Senator Cantwell and
reintroduced with strong bipartisan support in 2021. I'm thankful to
this Committee for recognizing the importance of this topic and for the
bipartisan efforts to pass this legislation. Among the many important
provisions of this legislation are the proposal for creating a Center
or perhaps Centers of Excellence for SSA, ideally at an institution of
higher education. In concert with the other provisions, this reflects
the need for substantial academic scientific, technical, policy, and
economic research associated with a civil SSA and space traffic
management system.
I thank the Committee for your time and your consideration of these
important issues.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Mr. O'Connell.
Dr. Holzinger.
STATEMENT OF DR. MARCUS J. HOLZINGER, H. JOSEPH
SMEAD FACULTY FELLOW, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,
ANN & H. J. SMEAD AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER
Dr. Holzinger. Thank you, Chairman Hickenlooper,
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. I'd like to thank
you again for the honor of coming here and talking about this
critical topic.
The University of Colorado is a top institution in
researching related to space and SSA. We have observational
capabilities, telescopes, RF dishes, and from that we are
involved in all elements of research related to space traffic
management and SSA.
Exponential commercial utilization of space is
simultaneously inspiring and terrifying. Rapidly growing
commercial services and resource exploration in space about
earth and near the moon promise meaningful economic growth and
increased danger.
Our present situation is much like being in heavy traffic
without a sense of right-of-way. We stand at a thrilling
precipice. Ahead, there are countless opportunities near the
earth, moon, and beyond that promise economic prosperity,
innovation, and rules-based international leadership.
I have three central points I would like to communicate to
the subcommittee today. Point Number One, the U.S. Government
and industry have a historic opportunity to lead the
international community in developing SSA and STM norms of
behavior and rules of the road.
In the strongest terms, I recommend the United States leads
these international and industry consensus efforts on the rules
of the road and norms of behavior.
I further recommend considering the Nobel Prize-winning
framework developed by Dr. Elinor Ostrom and championed by the
late Dr. Mark Meaney for governing shared commons resources,
such as space.
Taking this mantle of leadership reinforces continuity of
rules-based system of international cooperation and commerce
the United States has endeavored to support for nearly a
century.
Further, as a principal user of space, industry must
heavily participate in determining these rules of the road and
norms of behavior. The United States should lead and inspire in
civil space.
Point Number Two, now is the right time to articulate clear
mission authority and domains of responsibility for all
relevant government agencies.
Decisive mission authorization for the Department of
Commerce is necessary to maintain and widen our leading
technical and space industry position.
Point Number Three, we have a chance to streamline our
civil SSA and STM research and development enterprise. This can
produce transformative research, economically impactful
technology development, and develop the future workforce
necessary to realize substantial prosperity in space.
Additionally, nominal coordination between research
agencies and consistent funding and support to academia,
perhaps in the form of centers of excellence, will help develop
the workforce necessary and produce the research that we need.
Finally, government, industry, and academia should
contribute to decadal or periodic surveys that identify high-
impact basic research and technology development objectives for
civil SSA and space traffic management.
Allow the United States to meet this historic opportunity
with preparation. Combined, these actions have real potential
to ensure rules-based United States leadership in SSA and STM
amongst the international community.
Improved relevance and efficacy of basic research and
technology development efforts and ultimately produce a
thriving space economy.
With that summary, I thank you again for the opportunity to
testify on the criticality of our challenges and opportunities
within civil SSA and space traffic management.
I'd be pleased to answer any questions you or the
subcommittee have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Holzinger follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Marcus J. Holzinger, H. Joseph Smead Faculty
Fellow, Associate Professor, Ann & H. J. Smead Aerospace Engineering
Sciences Department, University of Colorado Boulder
Madame Chair, Senator Hickenlooper, and distinguished members of
this subcommittee, I thank you for the opportunity and honor of
discussing critical problems and opportunities in civil space
situational awareness, space traffic management, and orbital debris.
Exponential commercial utilization of space is simultaneously
inspiring and terrifying. Even with `only' 27,000 space objects being
sensed, tracked, and deconflicted at any time, the rate of close
approaches--once a worrisome novelty--has steadily become a daily
occurrence. Worse, there are hundreds of thousands of objects too small
to be tracked that can still damage or destroy spacecraft. Human
spaceflight has become outright dangerous, necessitating several
International Space Station maneuvers annually. Previous National
Security Space Strategy (NSSS) statements have called space
``congested, contested, and competitive.' This apt phrase captures the
truth of what we face in enabling vibrant, prosperous economic
utilization of space.
Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management
(STM) are emerging interdisciplinary fields that focus on how to use
radar, telescopes, and other sensors to detect, track, characterize,
determine intent, and manage on-orbit space objects. This includes
disparate technical disciplines including but not limited to
astrodynamics, information theory, control theory, autonomy, electro-
optical and radio-frequency systems, machine learning, and human
factors/cognitive engineering. Civil SSA/STM focuses on non-defense
applications of these capabilities, particularly civil government and
commercial spacecraft.
Perhaps a dozen on-orbit collisions have been positively
identified, which, combined with anti-satellite tests (ASAT) have led
to an explosion of tracked space objects over the past two decades. The
number of on-orbit debris are expected to grow for the foreseeable
future unless remediation methods are enacted. The overwhelming
majority of current space objects are either debris from past
misadventures or spacecraft malfunctions. NASA's Orbital Debris Program
office suggests that removing up to five large rocket bodies each year
could stabilize the debris population \1\, however this figure was
formed before large commercial constellations began to launch and is
likely now an underestimate. Rapidly growing commercial services and
resource exploration in space about Earth and near the Moon are
increasing the risk of collision and further collateral damage. Our
present situation is much like enduring heavy automobile or maritime
traffic without a sense of `right-of-way.'
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\1\ https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/remediation/
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Yet, for all these dangers, we stand at a truly thrilling
precipice. Behind us we see the space domain as the sole province of a
few state and commercial actors. Ahead, there are countless
opportunities near the Earth, Moon, and beyond that promise economic
prosperity, innovation, and rules-based international leadership. The
United States government and industry possess the unique and critical
means and opportunity to lead the international community in developing
SSA/STM norms of behavior and `rules of the road.' We have a chance to
streamline our civil SSA/STM research and development enterprise,
producing transformative basic research, economically impactful
technology development, and the future workforce necessary to realize
substantial prosperity in space. Further, with the recommended transfer
of civil SSA/STM to the Department of Commerce (DoC) \2\ and the
formation of the United States Space Force, now is the right time to
articulate clear mission authorizations and domains of responsibility
for relevant government entities. Behind each of these opportunities
lie shoals of challenges. However, it is my sincere belief that with
bold vision and judicious action, we can set the `rules of the road'
and norms of behavior of the space frontier, ensuring a windfall of
economic prosperity and peaceful interactions for the majority of this
century.
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\2\ https://napawash.org/uploads/NAPA_OSC_Final_Report.pdf
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Overcoming the following key challenges will be necessary for us to
achieve this outcome.
1. Rules of the Road and Norms of Behavior. State and commercial
actors in the international community have neither achieved
consensus nor adopted safe and commercially viable civil rules
of the road and norms of behavior. For such consensus to occur,
interested parties must participate directly or indirectly in
rule-making; it must be plain to state and commercial actors
that such rules benefit them.
2. Coherent, Coordinated, and Sustained Funding for SSA/STM
Innovation. Our current research funding organizations are
neither sufficiently funded nor adequately coordinated to lead
academia and industry in basic research, technology
development, and workforce for real operational concerns and
future needs. Through no fault of the cognizant organizations,
the current funding structure is insufficient to solve complex
systems of systems challenges in the new and developing field
of SSA/STM. Coherent, impactful innovation in SSA/STM and
efficient tax dollar use will require inputs from a cadre of
government, industry, and academic experts, centers of
excellence, and sustained congressional support.
3. SSA/STM Beyond Earth Orbit. A rising tide of state and civil
missions will be sent to the Moon in the next 5 years. Such
missions vary from high profile human spaceflight missions such
as Artemis to a variety of ultra-small CubeSat missions led by
universities. SpaceX has announced its intentions to send
missions to Mars. Our core SSA tools, such as observation
association, two-line element (TLE) orbit representation, and
initial orbit determination break down in many of these cases
\3\. These civil and commercial missions beyond geosynchronous
Earth orbit will require any new civil SSA/STM enterprise
system to seamlessly handle space objects transferring between
and residing within Earth orbit and beyond.
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\3\ M. Holzinger, C. Chow, P. Garretson, A Primer on Cislunar
Space, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, 23 June, 2021. https://
www.afrl.af.mil/Portals/90/Documents/RV/A%20Primer%20
on%20Cislunar%20Space_Dist%20A_PA2021-1271.pdf?ver=vs6e0sE4PuJ51QC-
15DEfg%3D%3D
4. Clear Civil SSA/STM Mission Authorization. Because of the newness
of democratized space commerce activities, unclear/piecemeal
SSA/STM roles and responsibilities between DOC, FCC, USSF, and
NASA are unavoidable. These gaps and ambiguities impose
unnecessary challenges, frictions, and costs in quickly
responding to civil space needs and commercial endeavors. Clear
civil SSA/STM mission authorizations must be articulated and
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any inter-agency connections and communications streamlined.
Details on opportunities motivated by these challenges are
summarized in the following paragraphs.
Rules-Based United States Leadership in SSA/STM
How can we develop, implement, and verify compliance for
sustainable SSA/STM `rules of the road' extending to the Moon and
beyond? Further, how can we ensure that international state and
commercial actors will embrace such practices, rather than skirt or
ignore them? Continuing unsustainable SSA/STM practices will quickly
lead us to a tragedy of the commons--an unenviable scenario in which
space, our common resource, is no longer usable. As with many fields of
cooperation, it is clear that international state and commercial actors
must ultimately agree to follow any rules of the road and clearly
understand how these norms of behavior benefit them directly or
indirectly. These ideas are not new, and have been most recently
endorsed in a joint statement \4\ at the G-7 summit in June 2021.
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\4\ http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=57581
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In the strongest terms, I recommend that the United States
demonstrate continued and increasing leadership in SSA/STM. The
benefits of United States leadership are manifold with few, if any,
drawbacks. Fundamentally, taking this mantle of leadership reinforces
and supports continuity of the rules-based system of international
cooperation and commerce we have supported for nearly a century.
Service and resource exploration commercial activities depend greatly
upon predictable requirements, environments, and outcomes to function.
With the space economy expected to grow exponentially in the coming
decades we can look forward to substantial growth in quality jobs,
gross domestic product, and tax base. This growth will be accelerated
if the United States decisively promulgates a rules-based SSA/STM
system of governance that encourages our space industry to seek
commercial opportunities while also protecting the future use of space.
The late Dr. Mark Meaney, founding principal investigator for the
CU Boulder Space Sustainability Initiative (SSI) \5\, proposed
leveraging basic existing frameworks and principles that have been
highly successful in applications to other shared commons. Dr. Elinor
Ostrom received the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for
her 8-principle framework on sharing common resources (Ostrom, 1990)
\6\. These principles are:
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\5\ https://www.colorado.edu/initiative/space-and-sustainability/
\6\ Ostrom, Elinor (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of
Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge University Press. ISBN
978-0-521-40599-7.
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Define clear boundaries of the common resource
Rules governing the use of common resources should fit local
needs and conditions
As many users of the resource as possible should participate
in making decisions regarding usage
Usage of common resources must be monitored
Sanctions for violators of the defined rules should be
graduated
Conflicts should be resolved easily and informally
Higher-level authorities recognize the established rules and
self-governance of resource users
Common resource management should consider regional resource
management
Ostrom's framework has been successfully implemented in other
applications and may be an excellent set of principles for the United
States to use when leading development of a rules-based system of
governance.
Finally, much like real estate locations on Earth, there are unique
locations in space (i.e., orbits) that can have more commercial value
than other locations. This is already demonstrated with geosynchronous
orbit and the resulting `slots' organized and assigned by the
International Telecommunication Union. Several researchers have
proposed orbit `slots' for spacecraft in other orbits. In addition to
this consideration, I suggest that the SSA/STM system of governance
consider mechanisms similar to real estate zoning for different types
of orbits.
Innovation, Workforce Development, and Jobs in SSA/STM
While much good work has been funded by the Air Force Office of
Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL),
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and others,
the resources awarded to SSA/STM research have been insufficient on
three fronts: (1) basic research has been chronically underfunded, (2)
because of low funding in academia the resulting rates of PhD graduates
with expertise in SSA/STM has been in grave deficit compared to demand,
and (3) there is little coordination between funding agencies as to
what research is needed and pursued. To be absolutely clear, these
issues are not due to neglect or malfeasance, but stem from the newness
of the SSA/STM field, sharply increasing demand for solutions, and a
shortfall in coherent basic research and technology development
coordination between all government entities. I have two suggestions
that may help address these problems.
Firstly, whichever government entity is ultimately chosen to have
mission authority over civil SSA/STM should have, as part of its
mandate, some level of access, visibility, and potentially input into
research pursued by other entities (such as AFOSR, AFRL, and NASA). We
may consider rotating research program officers from these constituent
organizations through such a coordination role to maximize knowledge
transfer, buy-in, and awareness amongst government-funded research
programs in SSA/STM.
Secondly, we must leverage the wisdom and technical expertise of
the larger domain of SSA/STM researchers and operational experts. To do
so, we should consider following NASA's lead in engaging impartial
entities (e.g., the National Research Council, the National Academies,
or other groups) to conduct decadal surveys identifying promising
avenues of basic research and technology development. To ensure these
decadal survey reports capture research opportunities and real
operational needs, I propose that government, industry, and academic
researchers and practitioners contribute to these reports.
In addition to functional changes in the research enterprise that
could result in more quality jobs and transformative research, the
following selected topics comprise a non-exhaustive list of high-impact
research and operational gaps in SSA, STM, and debris mitigation.
We must expand the SSA, STM, and debris mitigation
enterprise beyond Earth orbit. For example, our core
capabilities in observation association and initial orbit
determination often break down in multi-body regions. This
includes regions about the Earth-Moon system, Earth-Sun
Lagrange points, as well as other destinations for both public
and private spacecraft.
Our space object catalog is outdated and struggles to
accurately represent states, enable propagation, and represent
uncertainty for all but the most traditional cases. When
expanding operations beyond geosynchronous orbit, we're asking
our existing algorithms to perform tasks there were never
designed for. Fundamental and applied technology development is
necessary to resolve this. Emphatically, any new catalog
representation we choose to adopt should be able to represent
all trajectory types, whether in low-Earth orbit or on an
interplanetary transfer.
New results in decision-making under uncertainty for
centralized and decentralized sensor networks may fundamentally
change our sensor tasking and orbit update processes. We should
explore `real-time' ingestion, fusion, and tasking of sensor
data in both centralized and decentralized sensor networks.
Such advances would make substantial efficiency improvements
and reduce taxpayer burden and/or business overhead costs.
Space weather has been shown to substantially impact
spacecraft operations. New sensors continue to be launched that
allow us improvingly timely space weather status and
predictions. Integration of real-time space weather in SSA/STM
methods should be pursued. An excellent example of
collaboration in this topic between the Department of Commerce
and academia is the CU Boulder Space Weather Technology,
Research, and Education Center (SWx TREC)\7\.
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\7\ https://www.colorado.edu/spaceweather/
It is completely appropriate for commercial enterprises to
wish to retain proprietary methods for autonomous orbit
maintenance and collision avoidance. However, we must still
ensure safe autonomous spacecraft operations. Work in
certifiable algorithms that provide basic proof of safety for
autonomously maneuvering spacecraft or constellations must be
performed. Such a method could protect commercial intellectual
property while demonstrating necessary flight safety
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
certificates.
Ultimately, fused SSA/STM information must be understood and
acted upon by human operators, much like in air traffic
control. Our current SSA in USSF operations handle 1-2 thousand
active space objects, where in the future we expect 10s of
thousands of active space objects, many more of which may
maneuver autonomously. Research in human factors must be
performed to understand optimal operator workloads, operator
algorithm supervision capacity, and trust in autonomous sensor
processing, space object management, and sensor tasking
systems.
Appropriate Roles for Government, Industry, and Academia
Whether implemented as a coalition in a public-private partnership
or as formal elements of the DoC or other government entities, the
following roles and responsibilities should reside within government,
industry, and academia, respectively.
Government
Congress needs to clearly articulate Mission Authorization
and domains of responsibility for SSA/STM
Introduce physics-informed operating requirements for
different regions in space (e.g., polar sun-synch orbits,
geosynchronous orbit, Lagrange points). Consider extension of
principles in real estate zoning to these regions. Examples of
things to change include our antiquated 20-year deorbit policy
is not region-specific. Further, our geosynchronous `graveyard
orbit' has been shown to be unstable in the long term.\8\
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\8\ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06170-1
Engage with and lead the international community (other
governments, industry, and academia) in adoption and acceptance
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of rules of the road and norms of behavior.
Support integrated STM sensor processing, space object
management, and sensor tasking/observation request system.
Consider market-based options for sourcing sensor processing
and tasking from 3rd parties
Public purchase and availability of sensor observations in
support of civil SSA/STM
Streamline and maintain a coherent long-term stable funding
source, including Centers of Excellence, to facilitate
transformative research, workforce development, and quality job
growth
Participate in SSA/STM decadal survey activities
Industry
Participate heavily in formation and adoption of rules of
road, norms of behavior
Coordinate to propose verification standards for safe
operations that don't divulge proprietary techniques & methods
Participate in SSA/STM decadal survey activities
Academia
Support research needs in SSA, STM, and debris mitigation
for both government and industry
Lead Centers of Excellence
Increase PhD and MS workforce in SSA/STM allied areas for
government and industry employment, as well as entrepreneurial
activities
Provide impartial algorithm verification and validation
services for core SSA/STM activities
Participate in SSA/STM decadal survey activities
Combined, these actions have real potential to ensure rules-based
United States leadership in SSA/STM amongst the international
community, improve relevance and efficacy of basic research and
technology development efforts, and produce a thriving space economy.
With that summary, Senators Hickenlooper and Cantwell, I thank you
again for the opportunity to testify on the criticality of our
challenges and opportunities in SSA/STM. The subcommittee's work on
this matter has the potential to substantially benefit United States
and international civil space endeavors. I would be pleased to answer
any questions you or the subcommittee may have.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Dr. Holzinger.
Mr. Graziani.
STATEMENT OF PAUL GRAZIANI, CO-FOUNDER, ANALYTICAL GRAPHICS
INC., AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, COMSPOC CORP.
Mr. Graziani. Ranking Member Lummis, distinguished members
of the Committee, I sincerely thank you for inviting me here
and my company that I represent, Commercial Space Operations
Center, to testify before you on this critical issue of Space
Situational Awareness and what that means to Space Traffic
Management and Orbital Debris.
While I'm here representing my company certainly COMPSOC,
which is a hundred percent focused on this problem, delivering
SSA through a commercial business model, I really want to note
that I planned that this testimony really represents all the
commercial companies that are involved in this business.
We have from the inception of our company had what we call
a ``big 10'' approach that is inviting all other companies to
come participate and we have strong relationships and co-
invested with most--I'd actually dare to say most of the
commercial space situational awareness companies in the United
States here and actually several international ones.
So I feel pretty good about representing the industry here
as a whole.
I do have some visuals that will support my testimony. So
the first one up, and this has been established and we can play
the first chart up there which should be playing a video, there
we go, so this video--I won't let this run the whole time.
I think it's well understood what a day without space would
be like. It's a really bad day. So this video actually by the
German Space Agency kind of goes through that, but we'll skip
this and then jump right to the next chart which I think is a
more interesting video.
So this video coming up here will depict the growth of the
tracked objects since Sputnik has been launched and so what
you'll see here is both graphic depiction as well as a graph
that will actually show how that population increases very
dramatically.
So there's really a few take-aways that come from this. If
you notice (1) there's a dramatic, just flat-out dramatic
growth, as you see that curve going. (2) most of these objects
are debris and therefore not controllable. So that's a problem.
(3) you'll see some big spikes. So the first one coming up in
2007, as you mentioned, Mr. Chair, that was the Chinese
satellite weapons test, the debris 3,000 or so objects created
from that tracked objects, and then in 2009 you see the
collision that you also mentioned between a low earth orbiting
communications satellite and a dead Russian communications
satellite.
But what that says is when those collisions happened,
either intentional or unintentional, it really increases the
problem very dramatically. So that's something that we have to
focus on solving.
So if we go to the next chart, the next chart will show--
it's a better way to look at this debris problem. So what you
see here are a spatial density representation and what this
shows is--you can see there's the Chinese satellite weapon in
the second panel there. You see what happened there. You see
the Iridium Kosmos collision, and then what you see is the
growth that's happening because of the dramatic increase, and
this is very early in the process. This really only goes to
2019. So going forward is much more substantial.
So if we go to the next chart here, the key take-away here
is there is an awful lot of stuff. This is that 107,000
satellites that are right now proposed to be launched. So we've
got a big problem coming our way and we better start dealing
with it or that's really not going to happen. It's going to
make that orbit, the low earth orbit really unusable.
So just one more graphic that basically says a lot of
people say and they're right not all of those are going to fly,
but if you take a look at this chart, that green line, that's a
log chart there. That green line is showing what the actual and
you're seeing that it's tracking to way more than 10 percent
and even 10 percent would be a big problem. So I think we've
got a lot of space traffic coming our way.
[The charts referred to follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
So just to conclude with a few recommendations from our
perspective, so (1) it's really critical to energize and
motivate the space companies by empowering NOAA and the Office
of Space Commerce to fully embrace commercial SSA providers,
(2) fully resource and adequately fund the Office of Space
Commerce, something we believe needs to happen, (3) there needs
to be clear, deliberate, and direct action to acquire,
prioritize, implement, and deploy existing commercial SSA
systems that stand ready to deliver this capability, and then,
last, we certainly strongly support the Space Act. We believe
that this is going to be fundamental to our efforts.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
So again thanks for holding this hearing and thanks for
inviting us and the commercial industry stands ready to
dramatically help in this moment.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Graziani follows:]
Prepared Statement of Paul Graziani, CEO, COMSPOC Corp and Co-Founder,
Analytical Graphics, Inc.
1. Opening
Chair Hickenlooper, Ranking Member Lummis, and distinguished
members of the Committee--I sincerely thank you for inviting me and the
companies I represent, COMSPOC Corp and Analytical Graphics, Inc., to
testify before you on Space Situational Awareness (SSA), Space Traffic
Management (STM), and Orbital Debris.
While I directly represent COMSPOC and Analytical Graphics, I want
to note that I am delivering testimony today to reflect the commercial
SSA industry as a whole, rather than any one company. We've been
delivering SSA solutions for over 20 years and established a big tent
approach that should serve as the basis for my testimony.
I applaud your leadership today in holding a hearing on this topic.
SSA, STM, and Orbital Debris are indeed critically urgent matters that,
unfortunately, have fallen victim to years of stagnation by way of
repetitious study and debate, confused priorities and limited,
misdirected funding--resulting in very little actual progress. While
this topic continues to be of significant interest on the floor, it has
been allocated too few resources and too little discernable focus for
any significant advancement--despite Space Policy Directive-3 (SPD-3),
which formally initiated the STM responsibility and implementation
effort for the U.S. Government (USG), over 3 years ago. For the sake of
satellite operators, commercial SSA providers, human space explorers,
researchers and indeed, the general public, my hope is that this
hearing and your leadership will ensure it's not too late to provide
clear legislative direction such that the responsible agency can
execute and implement space safety solutions.
2. Benefits the SSA industry brings to the American people
Quite simply, the SSA industry, and a resulting STM regime, enable
a safe, secure and sustainable space operational environment for the
continued launch and operation of the critical space infrastructure
that delivers essential capabilities and services to the global
population: navigation, communications, weather/climate, Earth
resources and other imaging, health/medical system support, broadband
services, and virtual conduct of sectors of the U.S. economy--or U.S.
Commerce. The functions of industry-provided SSA range from the
identification and maintenance of position/velocity/orbit information
on the on-orbit satellite population, to the determination of knowledge
and understanding of potential collision risk situations, to supporting
the planning, selection, and execution of appropriate response actions,
all of whichallow operators to conduct safe operations that minimize
the risk of accidental collisions that would jeopardize the conduct of
and provision of these services.
The average American might not think of satellites in their day-to-
day life, but they certainly unknowingly rely on them. Banking, for
example--specifically wire transfers--are only possible using precision
timing signals only available from navigation satellites. Despite the
panic and inconvenience that would ensue at the loss of banking
communications, we rely on satellites for much higher stakes.
Consider a natural disaster; whether it's a flood, forest fire,
hurricane, or earthquake, satellites help detect, warn and mitigate the
loss of human life in these events. Infrared satellites detect forest
fires. First responders rely on satellites to find lost victims.
Hurricanes are monitored using weather satellites. Any of these events
alone can be horrific and even fatal. Further, compound on those
scenarios that much of our communications are reliant on satellites.
First responders radioing for reinforcements, pilots' connection with
air traffic control, phone calls statusing friends and family--are all
communications that are at risk without proper satellite safety
measures. These are all examples of space-based services upon which the
ground, air and maritime domains rely.
The space industry continues to research and innovate, opening new
doors to ground-breaking operating concepts, constructs, capabilities,
and services. This is evidenced by coverage on commercial space
launches introducing possibilities generally undoable even a few short
years ago (about when SPD-3 was released). The SSA industry will
continue to help keep space open for commerce and its associated
research and innovation.
A natural consequence of this activity, along with other factors,
causes space to continuously become an increasingly congested and
complicated operational environment, magnifying risk to operations and
its long-term sustainability. Current USG (via the DoD) spaceflight
safety capabilities and services, as well as the Space Situational
Awareness (SSA) to support them, fall far short of being able to manage
this critical resource in this ``new space'' regime. However,
commercial private industry has been actively innovating, building and
providing the necessary SSA and STM capabilities for over a decade.
Space is now indispensable to the American way of life, and STM is
fundamental to protecting the valuable resource of space. The benefits
of a robust SSA industry will ensure that the space-based services that
all citizens use today will continue to be available tomorrow and that
new space-based services will continue to flourish.
3. Commercial Positioning
US Commercial SSA providers are world-renowned for their
innovation, subject matter expertise, and capabilities. U.S. private
industry teams are delivering the most advanced SSA and STM
capabilities in existence. Many capabilities have been available for
over a decade, while some capabilities are recent, state-of-the-art
advancements, due to commercial industry's on-going innovation. Here
are a few examples from U.S. private industry:
Utilizes state-of-the-art algorithms that curate, process
and fuse data agnostically--facross all formats, standards and
phenomenologies--to generate the world's most accurate orbit
information and provide operationally relevant, decision-
quality collision warnings
Leverages open-standards based, service-oriented
architectures to facilitate ease of sharing and plug-n-play
interoperability with other existing capabilities or future-
developed capabilities
Provides commercial cloud computing architecture to support
flexibility, scalability, virtual accessibility, and data
security
Maximizes transparency into data, information, and the
processes behind them to support satellite operator confidence-
building in risk analysis and assessment procedures to support
collision avoidance maneuver decisions, planning, and execution
Ability to track small pieces of debris down to 2cm
Expertise to uniquely deploy hundreds of ground-based
telescopes in an innovative way to decrease the amount of sun
exclusion
Deploying and routinely using telescopes for daytime
tracking at scale
Acts as the operational arm for the Space Data Association
which provides safety of flight services to 700+ commercial and
civil satellite operators utilizing the Space Data Center that
was deployed and has been continuously operating for 11 years
For the past 3 years, NOAA has been utilizing commercial SSA
services from private industry to protect their weather satellites in
both low earth and geosynchronous orbit, in part to ensure the most
accurate and timely information is utilized.
There are many more examples where individual satellite operators
are indeed looking for and leveraging private industry commercial SSA
services. However, this remains a minuscular population of operational
satellites and doesn't address the scale needed to protect the space
operational environment.
A critical infrastructure component of an STM system, is an Open
Architecture Data Repository (OADR), which is not available in today's
legacy U.S. Government capabilities. In November 2020, DoC's Office of
Space Commerce (OSC), conducted an OADR industry day to perform market
research for commercial capabilities to support an OADR. Private
industry demonstrated the ability to satisfy all 10 required functions
of an OADR as stipulated by OSC.
In short, commercial companies are better suited than the
government to provide a higher standard of SSA because, by design,
their capabilities are more universal/interoperable due to the
diversity of their customer base, the pace at which commercial
innovates, and the commercial practices that enable the private sector
investment. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the government builds
capabilities that are very specific and uniquely situated to government
owned and operated systems. The nature of government contracting ends
up restricting the broad application of products and services available
from private industry for SSA and STM, and it stifles the innovation
necessary to continue to meet evolving SSA and STM challenges as they
arrive in the ``new space'' operational environment.
4. Importance of international leadership in these areas
SSA and space safety services have long been provided free of
charge to the satellite operator community via the Combined Space
Operations Center (CSpOC) under the purview of the 18th Space Control
Squadron (18SPCS). Using data collected by the Space Surveillance
Network, the DoD has performed a laudable job of providing these U.S.-
provided SSA Sharing services, to include obtaining the necessary
Congressional authority, instituting the requisite operational
procedures, and building and maintaining partnerships with various
foreign government and commercial entities. The DoD should be commended
for its foresight and understanding of the need to support space safety
for the sustainability of space operations, as well as its diligence in
establishing a paradigm for SSA sharing.
However, the U.S. national security space regime is becoming
increasingly threatened due to adversary actions. This is, in part, the
reason for the recent reorganization around national security space, to
include the re-institution of U.S. Space Command and the standup of the
U.S. Space Force. Associated with this reorganization, the DoD has
directly stated a compulsory demand to focus on space as a warfighting
domain and a desire to transfer SSA sharing and space safety functions
to another USG organization (and identified the Commerce Department for
this purpose).
Combined with the aforementioned lack of progress in standing up a
U.S. SSA/STM regime for these civil/commercial concerns, non-US
governmental entities, and their associated non-U.S. commercial
counterparts, now have an opportunity and seek to seize the initiative
in this mission area. If successful, they would then promote their
leadership paving the way for the development of international
standards and best practices with respect to space operations, SSA and
STM. These efforts could then result in processes, standards, and best
practices that, are not favorably pre-disposed to U.S. priorities and
concerns; they may even artificially complicate or constrain U.S. space
operations, including national security space.
In addition, this would consequently mean that the associated non-
U.S. commercial entities would be able to grab the larger percentage of
the potential market share for private industry-provided SSA and STM
capabilities and services.
Indeed, the current German presidency of the European Union has set
a high priority on STM to maintain and promote European sovereignty,
not only for its regulatory impact but also to open markets for related
goods and services. The European Cooperation for Space Standardization
has stood up a regular meeting panel of 20 subject matter experts to
coordinate and harmonize European industries and agencies positions on
STM related standards and to contribute to the development of STM
implementation standards in the framework of the International
Organization of Standardization (ISO).
And the EU is not the only non-U.S. effort underway. While the U.S.
might hope for the best here (and realize that hope is not a
strategy!), there are also efforts underway with potential adversaries
like China and Russia that will undoubtedly seek to complicate U.S.
management of its space concerns and equities.
5. Recommendations for congressional action on civil SSA and STM
In Summary, the space sector is experiencing explosive growth, this
creates a more difficult satellite operational field, protecting our
satellites is essential to American every-day way of life, the status
quo is unsustainable, and better capabilities exist and are assessable
through commercial options.
The U.S. needs to take advantage of the commercial innovation and
the rate at which commercial industry delivers solutions that address
space safety challenges. Below are recommendations to do so:
Energize and motivate the space commerce by empowering NOAA
and the Office of Space Commerce to fully embrace commercial
SSA providers through contracts just like NASA and other
agencies do; a no-cost demonstration is not incentivizing
private industry to continue to invest and innovate and simply,
does not meet the spirit and intent of collaborating with
industry for an STM Pilot.
Implement a national STM Pilot for space safety and
continued space economy growth
Fully resource and adequately fund the Office of Space
Commerce to take advantage of existing commercial STM services
available from private industry.
Provide clear, deliberate direction to acquire, prioritize,
implement, and deploy existing commercial SSA and STM services
available.
Utilize the market research already performed by the Office
of Space Commerce.
Leverage research and development for studying hard problems
where solutions don't exist and to improve upon promising ideas
and algorithms; Avoid the unending analysis of alternatives or
yet another year of market research or technical studies that
have all been performed and results reported. The solutions
already exist; they just need to be utilized.
Again, I applaud this committee for taking leadership and holding
this hearing. Consistent with the August 2020 National Academy of
Public Administration (NAPA), there is an impending crisis as it
relates to satellite operations and managing the collision threats, the
growth of on-orbit satellites and the critical nature of space-based
services provided from satellites. There is an urgent challenge and
private industry is well prepared to meet the challenge. We look
forward to your direction to remove the obstacles hindering the full
utilization of existing commercial solutions.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Mr. Graziani.
Mr. Stroup.
STATEMENT OF TOM STROUP, PRESIDENT,
SATELLITE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Mr. Stroup. Chair Hickenlooper, Ranking Member Lummis, and
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for
inviting me to testify today.
I'm Tom Stroup, President of the Satellite Industry
Association, which represents the U.S. commercial industry.
U.S. industry is leading space innovation, driving the need
for more precise orbital tracking, SSA, and in the future a
space traffic coordination and management regime.
The safety of the space environment is critical to all
operators, from navigating through debris fields, rocket bodies
and defunct satellites to operators coordinating on orbital
planes and best practices for collision avoidance.
The profile of operational satellites will change
substantially in five to 10 years. To accommodate this growth,
the current framework of regulations and policies requires
review and in some cases revision.
The six most important issues today are Number One,
timeliness. Rates of launch and deployment have increased
dramatically with over 1,200 satellites launched in 2020 alone.
Operators rely on SSA to characterize the environment and
anticipate and avoid collision. More advanced services are
needed to support future operations and establish safety and
sustainability. There is a need for information-sharing,
transparency, and coordination among satellite operators as
well as U.S. and foreign administrations.
Given the safety aspect inherent in SSA and STCMA,
government and government-backed provision of these services is
critical.
Number Two, orbital accuracies. Today's free SSA services
feature suitable orbital accuracies to support flight safety
decisions in some orbital regimes but will fall short as
activity increases.
Whether accuracy is suitable is dependent upon operator-
selected collision avoidance metric and threshold tracking
revisited prioritization, the object's physical properties,
orbital regime, and maneuverability. Therefore, a focus should
be on improving data accuracy.
Number Three, continued development of commercial tools to
augment current services. Several versions of commercial SSA
and STCM services exist to augment government systems.
Continued development and adoption of both government and
commercial services and STCM system will improve decision-grade
information for operators.
Number Four, tracking and advanced SSA analytics.
Observations from diverse SSA tracking networks and sensors is
required to build a robust, accurate, SSA system.
Number Five, open architecture deposit data repository.
Today's satellite operators contribute data relevant to space
safety on spacecraft, including positional time histories and
predictions, maneuver plans, launch, early orbit, and re-entry
data.
Commercial entities continue to lead the development and
implementation of OADR capabilities. This data exchange model
must be extended globally.
And Number Six, availability of information. SSA and STCM
data must be available to all operators, whether commercial or
government, regardless of mission, altitude, or nationality.
As such, SIA recommends the following four actions. Number
1, action and funding are needed now. The commercial satellite
sector is quickly innovating, driving U.S. leadership in space.
The U.S. must act now to implement a modern SSA/STCM
environment to support innovation, including leveraging
commercial and government capabilities to yield a U.S.-
developed cutting edge space sustainability model.
Number 2, the framework should be established but specific
technologies to meet requirements should not be dictated. Space
companies are renowned for ingenuity. Allowing innovative ways
to meet requirements of a modern space safety framework will
encourage development and ensure cost-efficient and effective
technologies are utilized.
Number 3, governments should encourage best practices. The
commercial space industry has a track record of responsible
operations in space and counts on a safe environment to
undertake ongoing and future business.
Solidifying the participation and support of industry to
ensure widespread adoption of space safety practices is
critical and will reduce the need for unnecessary and often
burdensome regulation.
And Number 4, any effective solution must be whole of space
and endeavor to meet global needs. A successful modern and
sustainable STCM system will include all categories of space
activities, U.S. and international alike.
The U.S. cannot accomplish this on its own and if
regulations are not appropriate, satellite operators will
license systems in foreign administrations rather than the U.S.
This will require the relationships and leadership of the U.S.
Government, commercial stakeholders, and like-minded nations to
achieve space sustainability.
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today and
I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Stroup follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tom Stroup, President,
Satellite Industry Association
Chair Hickenlooper and Ranking Member Lummis and distinguished
Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify before
you today. I am Tom Stroup, President of the Satellite Industry
Association (SIA).\1\,\2\ SIA is a U.S.-based trade
association providing representation of the leading satellite
operators, service providers, manufacturers, launch services providers,
space situational awareness companies, and ground equipment suppliers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ SIA Executive Members include: Amazon; AT&T Services, Inc.; The
Boeing Company; EchoStar Corporation; Intelsat S.A.; Iridium
Communications Inc.; Kratos Defense & Security Solutions; Ligado
Networks; Lockheed Martin Corporation; OneWeb; SES Americom, Inc.;
Space Exploration Technologies Corp.; Spire Global Inc.; and Viasat
Inc. SIA Associate Members include: ABS U.S. Corp.; Amazon Web
Services; Artel, LLC; AST & Science; Astranis Space Technologies Corp.;
Blue Origin; Eutelsat America Corp.; ExoAnalytic Solutions; HawkEye
360; Hughes; Inmarsat, Inc.; Kymeta Corporation; Leonardo DRS; Lynk;
Omnispace; Ovzon; Panasonic Avionics Corporation; Peraton; Planet;
SpaceLink; Telesat Canada; ULA; UltiSat and XTAR, LLC.
\2\ Viasat does not join in these comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are at an important time in the advancement and use of space
with U.S. industry bringing vast innovation to space. There are many
innovative ways to use space which drive the increased need for more
precise orbital tracking, space situational awareness, and, in the
future, a space traffic coordination and management (STCM) regime.
These uses include everything from large constellations of
communications satellites bringing broadband to everyone, commercial
human spaceflight, position navigation and timing, and greater space
exploration and monitoring. The safety of the space environment is
critical to all of our operators: from navigating through debris
fields, rocket bodies, and defunct satellites, to operators
coordinating on orbital planes and best practices for collision
avoidance, to our cubesat operators who must utilize innovative designs
to maneuver their satellites without exceeding their size, weight, and
power budgets.
SIA projects the profile of active satellites operating in low
earth orbit will change substantially in the upcoming 5-10 years. Many
ventures have been applying for regulatory approvals, seeking
investment and developing designs and are operating on-orbit today,
including providing high-speed, low-latency broadband, earth
monitoring, and other critical capabilities from orbit. Although a
number of large constellations have been proposed, it is important to
understand that adding the total number of satellites proposed in
regulatory filings worldwide does not equate with what will ultimately
be viable, orbiting systems. Nevertheless, it is clear that the current
framework of space regulations and policies requires review and, in
some cases, revision to prepare for the continued utilization of space,
encourage and promote innovation, drive continued investments in the
U.S., and promote a safe space environment.
SIA urges thoughtful consideration of the SSA and eventual STCM
regime in a way that facilitates operators appropriately responsible
for safe space operations and fosters the ongoing safe and efficient
use of the shared space environment.
The most important issues SIA sees today are as follows:
1. Timeliness: The current and forecasted rates of launch and
spacecraft deployment have increased dramatically, with over
1200 satellites launching in 2020. Currently, space operators
rely on space situational awareness (SSA) services and
conjunction messages to characterize the space environment and
anticipate and avoid collision. While these SSA services are
important and useful today, more advanced services are needed
to support future space operations and establish space safety
and sustainability of the space environment. SIA members
believe that there is a need to revise the current space safety
construct by procuring and implementing a viable and effective
coordination approach for information sharing, transparency,
and coordination among satellite owners/operators, U.S.
government organizations, and foreign administrations. Given
the safety aspect inherent in SSA and STCM, government and
government-backed provision of these services is critical.
2. Orbital accuracies. Today's public, free SSA services feature
suitable orbital accuracies to support flight safety decisions
in some orbital regimes, but in many key orbital regimes they
will fall short as space activity increases. Whether the
accuracy is suitable is highly dependent upon the specific
collision avoidance metric and threshold selected by the
operator, the type of object, its size or reflectivity,
tracking revisit and prioritization, the orbital regime it
occupies, and its maneuverability. To accommodate these current
orbital inaccuracies, some operators often rely on very
conservative assumptions for decisions to implement collision
avoidance decisions, resulting in a flood of warnings. A focus
should be on improving the accuracy of these datasets.
3. The continued development of commercial tools to augment current
space sustainability and safety service. Several versions of
commercial SSA and STCM services exist today to augment
government systems in a highly complementary way. The continued
development and adoption of both government and commercial
services in a diverse STCM system will improve accuracy of
decision-grade information for space operators.
4. Tracking and advanced SSA analytics. Observations from diverse
SSA tracking networks and sensor types is required to build a
robust, accurate SSA system. The data from these observations
must be brought together using modern data fusion engines and
analytics to produce accurate, decision-quality SSA content and
collision alert warnings that operators can rely upon to make
timely decisions.
5. Open Architecture Data Repository (OADR). Today, satellite
operators have proven a willingness to proactively contribute
data on their spacecraft, to include spacecraft positional time
histories and predictions, maneuver plans, launch, early orbit
and reentry data, and other data relevant to safety of flight.
Commercial entities continue to lead the development and
implementation of OADR capabilities. We need to now extend that
space operator data exchange model across the global space
operator population under a robust STCM enterprise, providing
an OADR that can serve as the gathering place for authoritative
spacecraft operator data.
6. Availability of information. It is imperative that SSA and STCM
data be made readily available to all space operators, whether
commercial or government, regardless of mission, altitude or
nationality. Given the critical space safety role that this
data products and supporting analytics provide, such data must
be highly available, with a minimum of SSA and STCM service
outages, and operators need to contribute improved data to make
this successful.
As such, SIA recommends the following actions:
Recommendation 1: Action and funding is needed now. The
commercial satellite sector is innovating quickly and driving
U.S. leadership in space. SIA urges the U.S. government act now
to implement a more modern SSA/STCM environment to support this
innovation, including leveraging both commercial and government
capabilities to yield a U.S.-developed cutting-edge space
sustainability model. This activity requires adequate funding
and staffing.
Recommendation 2: The Framework should be established, but the
specific technologies to meet requirements should not be
dictated. Space companies are world-renowned for their
ingenuity. Allowing innovative ways to meet the specified
requirements of a modern space safety framework will encourage
development and ensure the most cost-efficient and effective
technologies are utilized.
Recommendation 3: Governments should encourage best practices.
The commercial space industry has a long track record of
responsible operations in space and counts on a safe
environment to undertake ongoing and future space business.
Solidifying the participation and support of the commercial
industry to ensure wide-spread adoption of space safety
practices is critical and will reduce the need for unnecessary
and often burdensome regulations and is action that can be
taken now.
Recommendation 4: Any effective solution must be whole of space
and endeavor to meet global needs. A successful, modern and
sustainable space traffic management system will include all of
the types of space activities listed above, U.S. and
international alike. The U.S. cannot accomplish this on its own
and, if regulations are not appropriate, satellite operators
will continue to ``forum shop'' and license systems in foreign
administrations rather than the U.S. This will require the
relationships and leadership of the U.S. government, commercial
stakeholders and like-minded space-faring counterparts to meet
the important goals of space sustainability.
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you and I am happy to
answer any questions.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Mr. Stroup.
I apologize for mispronouncing your name. With a name like
Hickenlooper, I'm usually more attentive. I apologize.
We'll go to questions now and I think I'll start with Dr.
Holzinger. STM requires obviously not just international
cooperation but some level of enforcement, rules with
feasibility, and as we have other nations developing their own
frameworks, their own rules and consequences, where do you
think it is that--how do we demonstrate global leadership on
this issue, both in STM and SSA, and make sure that people
recognize that we are still the leader?
Dr. Holzinger. Thank you, Senator, for that question.
The United States needs to demonstrate its leadership
through consensus-based methods. If you look at Dr. Elinor
Ostrom's framework for governing commons, it's necessary to
have some level of buy-in from all the entities operating in
that area. Otherwise, they'll do exactly as some of the other
members of this panel have said and they will circumvent those
rules. So there's some level of international collaboration
that needs to be done and led by the United States.
If we don't do this, if we don't have the United States
lead this endeavor, then other individuals or entities will and
they will not necessarily form rules or regulations or
approaches that are consistent with our national interests.
Senator Hickenlooper. Got it. Part of this is the level of
awareness of the American people isn?t at what it needs to be,
both in terms of the amount of debris in space but also the
speed it's traveling at, what happens, how small a piece of
debris can still do significant damage.
Mr. O'Connell, as the former Director of the Office of
Space Commerce, what steps did you take while leading the
office to not only maintain our international leadership but to
get the word out to the American people about the risks and I
just wanted to ask what advice did you give to your successor?
Mr. O'Connell. Thanks very much for the question, Senator.
I would say that from the very first day, ironically, my
appointment was announced at the White House the very same day
that SPD-3 was announced at the White House and my life has
never been the same since.
What we did do was spend literally every day in some
measure on the topic trying to work the many different
dimensions, supporting interagency discussions with NASA, the
FAA, State Department, et cetera, working on rules of the road
partly to encourage the message that we're having here, the
growing role of the private sector in space, working
specifically on the technical architecture.
We actually put a colleague, Mark Daley, out at Vandenberg
to work hand-in-hand with the Department of Defense and they
were tremendous partners because they want to get out of this
piece of the mission as much as we wanted the opportunity to
take it on and so that partnership was continuous throughout to
work the technical issues, how is it done today, and then how
could it be done better, and then, finally, industry engagement
really appreciating all of the companies that are represented
here and well beyond.
Last November we held an Industry Day with over 200
organizations that participated virtually to talk about one
piece or another of this activity.
In terms of the words for my successor, this is one piece
of the responsibility of the Office of Space Commerce,
advocacy, regulatory reform. There are others, as well, but
this is absolutely the most important mission at this point in
time, given what is at stake and given the need to make very
rapid progress in this area, and again we can do it using the
commercial capabilities for this particular piece of the
mission.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you for your service. That
sounds like good advice and certainly doesn?t always happen in
government that you have two cooperating agencies transferring
responsibility. So that's some reflection of your hard work,
I'm sure, as well.
Mr. O'Connell. Thank you very much.
Senator Hickenlooper. And I've only got a minute here. So
I'll ask you both to be concise, but, Ms. Drees and Mr. Stroup,
I wanted to ask you each to discuss how the commercial space
industry's efforts to advance STM and SSA could complement
other Federal missions.
Ms. Drees. That's a great question. So I would say, you
know, just overall in general with the satellite industry,
they're providing so many benefits to society really and the
two that really come to mind are climate change and broadband
internet.
So we've got a lot of initiatives underway now through this
Administration, through, you know, the climate effort, through
OSTP, and this is where commercial industry can provide a lot
of value and we're ready to go. We're poised and ready to go
and address some of these issues, and broadband internet, as
well.
You know, this is one area where the satellite industry is
providing Internet access to tens of millions of Americans that
wouldn't otherwise receive the access.
Senator Hickenlooper. Mr. Stroup, do you want to add
anything to that in your 12 seconds or so?
Mr. Stroup. I would say everybody uses satellites virtually
every day and the industry has sought to lead by example by
establishing a set of best practices and encouraging the
development of the regime that we've talked about.
Thank you.
Senator Hickenlooper. I appreciate that. I apologize for
asking a question that was impossible to answer in the time
that was allotted.
I will turn over the questioning to Ranking Member Lummis.
Senator Lummis. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
My first question is for Mr. O'Connell. One of my major
concerns and several of my colleagues' major concerns is that
it's taking a lot of time for the Department of Commerce to set
up the Open Architecture Data Repository. So it's been 3 years
since the Space Policy Directive 3 was published.
What do you think is holding up the process and what needs
to be done to pick up the pace?
Mr. O'Connell. Thank you, Senator, for that question.
Again, we worked on it with the office team literally every
day during my time at Commerce. I would say one aspect of this
is that we needed to get our heads around the different
partnerships and some of the technical opportunities that were
available in the commercial industry.
Second, it really was a resource question, the extent to
which we had a very, very small budget in the office. When I
arrived to the office in 2018, no one had led the office for 10
years and it had accordingly a small, very tiny budget, and a
very, very small staff. So some of our early days were built up
bringing in people who could help out with the many different
responsibilities of this.
It's very much a resource issue. It needs to be resourced
now. In the NAPA Report there is actually a set of budget
estimates that we had prepared during my time at Commerce and
was looked at both by the internal Commerce Department
management but also by NAPA.
Senator Lummis. So the Biden Administration has not yet
announced a Director of OSC. And I get it, they've got a lot on
their plate right now. But could you talk about the importance
of having someone at the helm at OSC?
Mr. O'Connell. Sure. Absolutely, Senator. Thanks for that
question very much.
Again, the office had a number of missions while we were
there. It had the advocacy first and foremost and advocacy is
not cheerleading. OK? Advocacy is about identifying investment
and technology trends that are coming forward in the market.
It's about helping companies break regulatory logjams.
The comment about companies going overseas, we want to
avoid that obviously. It's about improving the space economy
statistics so that we all make better decisions and we did that
with the Bureau of Economic Analysis and our colleagues there,
and so on and so forth.
So advocacy, it's our legally mandated mission, in addition
to work on regulatory reform, many of the space policy
activities of very, very high speeds, high policy activities
during the Trump Administration, including the review of
national space policy, which encouraged the use of commercial
capabilities, and then obviously all of the responsibilities
associated with this.
And so we made progress on all of those fronts, I believe,
and obviously we just need to pick up the pace at this point.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Mr. Graziani and Mr. Holzinger, in your testimony you both
talked about the possibility of non-U.S. entities standing up
SSA/STM regimes.
Can you elaborate on the consequences of non-U.S. entities
taking the lead in this area and for the purposes of people
that might be listening on C-Span, sometimes we use acronyms to
the point where we don't even know what we're talking about,
Space Situational Awareness refers to detecting, tracking, and
identifying all objects in earth orbit, and so obviously this
is really important as we're launching more and more and so
this is a really important topic today.
So Mr. Graziani.
Mr. Graziani. Certainly. Absolutely many nations throughout
the world really want to take a key role in SSA and space
traffic management and there are a lot of reasons for that.
There certainly are just the national sovereignty, if you
will, in being able to control and understand what's going on
using your own assets, so I think that that's one of the
issues, and then there are military issues certainly because
this domain of what you do for space situational awareness, for
space traffic management, the space situational awareness also
has military applications.
So you have that blend and then it cuts across and it's
going to look differently to an adversary of ours, like China
or Russia, than it would to an ally of ours, be it Japan or
European Union, et cetera.
But, you know, we certainly feel that the United States has
been a lead in this for a long time and if we don't maintain
that lead, there's going to be consequences to how it is that
our companies play in that world. So that's my answer to your
question.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Mr. Holzinger.
Dr. Holzinger. Thank you, Senator, for that question.
Much like Mr. Graziani, I agree that it is imperative that
the United States lead the endeavor of setting these rules.
If other countries instead lead those efforts, then they
are going to be making the rules and regulations and, quite
frankly, those will not be to the benefit of our own industry
and national interests.
So, fundamentally, it's a national interest for us to lead
this effort and to gain as much consensus amongst the
international constituency as possible.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Mr. Stroup, did I pronounce that right?
Mr. Stroup. Yes, thank you.
Senator Lummis. Thanks. And this question I would also like
to address to Ms. Drees. So thank you both.
Mr. Stroup, you mentioned in your testimony that SSA
tracking data is not always precise enough for our space assets
to make safety decisions, and as a result, operators act on
extra conservative assumptions.
Is this lack of precision a technology problem or a deficit
of information, and how can the accuracy of the data be
improved?
Mr. Stroup. Yes. So it's partially a technology issue and
as a result sensors are now being added to spacecraft to be
able to add to the information that is available.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Ms. Drees.
Ms. Drees. Yes, I would say at this point the technology
has come pretty far along and it's mostly an accuracy of
information problem at this point.
Just having the ability to track everything in real time to
the point where companies often are coordinating with each
other. So that is one of the things that we see as a definite
need to fast track the effort.
Senator Lummis. Thank you, all.
Mr. Graziani. Senator, I could add something to that from a
commercial perspective, which is that there are two things that
are happening.
One, we're not collecting the right amount of data that we
should, the amount of data that we should, and we're not
processing it in the right way. So really the thing that needs
to happen, you can either process the data that we have already
in a much better way and commercial capabilities are there
staying ready to do that, and you can provide more collections
of the data that are out there, especially in areas that are
not well covered today.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
I want to thank all of our witnesses, and I call on Senator
Blumenthal for his questions.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
You know, there has been an effort to develop some kind of
law that relates to space just as there is an effort to develop
a law of the sea, maritime law.
Let me ask you, Ms. Drees. To what extent would clearer
either norms or actual laws promote the development of
commercial space activity?
Ms. Drees. I think it's a little bit of a fine line. So I
think, you know, when it comes to favorable policies, there's a
growing need in the United States to have those favorable
policies to keep the United States sort of on the top of the
space regime, if you will, but, second, and maybe sort of a
close relative to that is the regulatory environment and this
is where, you know, there is some concern about not having
regulation but having the right regulation at the right time so
that we don't prevent innovation from a lot of these companies
that have that flexibility today.
So that is one of the concerns, but I think it's
imperative, first and foremost, that we take that position that
we want it as a nation. We want to be able to have the control
over the process more or less and set the standard for the rest
of the world.
Senator Blumenthal. Normally in the United States one of
our great advantages is we have norms and rules and laws that
are enforceable, in fact are enforced. So we believe in the
Rule of Law which gives a certain trust and credibility.
When you enter into a contract, it's enforceable and you
know that the government's not going to simply interfere and
demand a bribe or whatever.
So on which side do you think we're erring right now, too
little or too much? I'll open that question to the rest of the
panel.
Mr. O'Connell. Senator, thank you.
I think I wouldn't approach it from a too little or too
much perspective. What I'd say is it's still very early days.
Operators have pretty much had freedom of action if they choose
to move because of a near collision. We won't have that
opportunity in the very near future and so I think two things
are happening in parallel.
One, appropriately, the diplomats and the defense
organizations around the world are having discussions about
norms, behavior, just like we would have discussion about norms
in any other domain.
At the same time and so much of this is about the speed of
this problem and how much it's changing. Industry is likely to
set the practical standards by which we make these kinds of
decisions. So fortunately in the United States we're required
by law to actually stay connected to industry standards.
That is not the case with a lot of other countries that are
developing similar systems or systems for space traffic
management of their own and so I think we're very much at the
point where we have to pay careful attention to how industry is
dealing with this as the basis for rules of the road as they
progress and then law and regulation.
Thank you.
Dr. Holzinger. Senator, that's an excellent question and as
an engineering professor, I feel compelled to say that many
elements of the regulation should have a physics basis, first
principles basis for what rules of road or regulations we
impose on them.
For example, geosynchronous space is very different from
sun-synchronous polar orbiting space and that's also itself
different from missions that we send to the moon and so I think
that whatever rules and regulations we choose to propose should
be physics-based.
Senator Blumenthal. Any of the others----
Mr. Stroup. I would add I think that we've all talked about
space awareness as the first step and then space traffic
management coordination and management which I think we feel is
the appropriate process to be taken.
Thank you.
Mr. O'Connell. Thank you for that question again, and I
want to respond to Dr. Holzinger.
You know, we talk a lot about the Open Architecture Data
Repository and perhaps it needs a brand change. You know, maybe
it's just--but you understand what it does. It was never
designed as the be-all and end-all.
What it was first and foremost designed to do was to take
the data that comes from the Department of Defense unclassified
and add incredible amount of civil, partner, and commercial
data and apply modern data management analytics tools.
The second was that it was designed to enable, it is
designed to enable the emergence of a space safety industry.
When we improve the precision and accuracy of what we
understand places to be in space, it allows industry and we met
with many companies that did this are thinking about new
services.
Finally, and to your question, Senator, it also becomes in
the open world the place where we start to have much better,
much more rigorous scientific data for which, for example, the
insurance industry will now have a whole new source of data
about how to calculate risk in different orbits and in
different constellations and things like that.
That's part of the benefit of moving it from the largely
national security side here but moving it into the open to
apply modern data science and rigorous analytics techniques
that will inform policy and regulation.
Senator Blumenthal. Thank you.
Mr. O'Connell. Thank you.
Senator Blumenthal. I'm in the middle of an excellent book
called Mercury Rising. I don't know whether any of you have
read it. It's about the very earliest days of the Space Program
and Sputnik and John Glenn and so forth and it's kind of a
culture shock. It's an excellent book to go forward into
today's age from a time when they thought maybe a person's
eyeballs would pop out because of weightlessness or the G force
of going into space and we've learned a lot but now the
problems seem to be magnified and even more numerous with the
access that people have to heights and environs that just
decades ago would have been unreachable and unthinkable.
So I thank you all for your excellent testimony this
morning. Thank you. Thanks.
Senator Lummis. Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
Next up hailing from Florida, one of our most significant
states in space issues, is the gentleman from Florida, Mr.
Scott.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICK SCOTT,
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
Senator Scott. Thank you, Senator Lummis. Thank you for
hosting this hearing today. I want to thank each of you for
being here. As you are right, Senator Lummis, In Florida, space
is big. It's very important to us.
When I became Governor, unfortunately, manned flight had
been shut down and we'd lost, I think, over 7,500 jobs and so
we put a lot of effort into revitalizing our space industry and
we put a lot of money into it and the private sector showed up
and it has really completely changed the Kennedy Space Center
and that whole area of the state and now it's very difficult to
find engineers because of all the things that were happening
there. We've had a lot of success there and thank all of you
for what you've done.
So I want to talk about what you all can do with regard to
what's going on in Cuba. I don't know if you're following
what's happened in Cuba, but the population in Cuba has showed
up and they're protesting. And what's happening now is that the
oppressive Cuban regime is beating up peaceful protesters.
They've arrested unbelievable numbers of people. These people
are being tortured for just speaking about simple things like
freedom.
When Barack Obama was President, he did the appeasement
plan there and I'll tell you how well it worked. There's a lady
by the name of Sirley Avila Leon that had her hand chopped off
after the appeasement, stuck in the mud, hoping she would die
of infection, and her trust was she complained that a school
was being closed in her neighborhood. That's what's going on
down there.
So it's horrible. We need to get Internet back on. If we
can get Internet back on, the people of Cuba are going to show
up and continue to tell the Castro regime ``your time is up,''
and they're going to demand the freedom that we all cherish.
So for Mr. Stroup, what can the satellite industry do to
help us get the Internet back on so the Cuban population can
communicate with themselves to continue to fight for their God-
given rights of liberty and freedom?
Mr. Stroup. One of the great things about the capabilities
of the satellite industry is its ubiquitous coverage and one of
the fastest-growing segments is the broadband industry.
So the ability to be able to provide broadband service and
giving those people the access to information from outside the
world as well as what's happening within Cuba is one example.
Another is the remote-sensing capability of the industry,
the ability to provide data, observational data to Cubans. It's
something that the industry is doing with the ability to
refresh the data every day so that the government is not
capable of lying to them about what is happening, what is
happening in the streets and elsewhere throughout the country.
So those are two of the examples.
When the Obama Administration had discussed normalizing
relations, with their opening up relations with Cuba, there
were discussions about making direct-to-consumer television
services available, again giving them additional information
that they otherwise would not have.
Thank you, Senator.
Senator Scott. So what can the satellite industry do right
now to get Internet back on? Is there anything that either our
Federal Government can do or the private sector can do today to
get the Internet back on or get people information where they--
it's peer-to-peer information where they can communicate with
each other?
Mr. Stroup. I think probably the--to the extent that we had
the ability to make the receivers available to the members of
the public, I don't know the challenges that would be
associated with that, but again given the ubiquitous coverage
of the service, we've got an ability to provide broadband
service to them. Getting the receivers to them may be the
bigger challenge.
Senator Scott. Yes. And nothing on satellite works toward
the cell phone, right, because the antenna's not big enough, is
that right?
Mr. Stroup. Could you repeat the question, please?
Senator Scott. So there's nothing--so what they all have is
cell phones, right? So that?s what they've shut down. They've
shut down their ability to communicate data with cell phones.
Is there any way that the satellite industry can get
information to cell phones or does it always have to be a
significant size receiver?
Mr. Stroup. So actually there are companies that are
developing technology to be able to connect directly from
satellites to telephones, to mobile phones. Satellites are also
used for backhaul to cellular phones, but there are two
companies that are working on the ability to connect directly
to mobile phones from satellites.
Senator Scott. Is that technology available yet?
Mr. Stroup. They have launched their first satellites. It's
not commercially available yet.
Senator Scott. What's the name of the company?
Mr. Stroup. One is AST Science and the other is Lynk, L-Y-
N-K.
Senator Scott. AST Science. OK. I'll reach out to them.
We've got to figure out how to do this.
You know, the other thing that concerns me is just how much
Communist China is involved in Cuba and they're part of how
they're shutting down communications. So what can the satellite
industry do to help make sure that Communist China does not
continue to do what they're doing to try to stop communication
in Cuba? Is there anything?
Mr. Stroup. What can the satellite industry do to stop----
Senator Scott. What Communist China is doing?
Mr. Stroup. I think certainly making sure that there are
signals available. I think that short of jamming the signals
across multiple different service providers, I don't know what
else Congress can do, other than to continue to make sure that
the satellite industry has the access to spectrum to be able to
continue the services it's providing.
Senator Scott. OK. If you come up with anything of how we
can get the Internet back on, it's the biggest issue we've got
right now. I mean, if you see the videos, there's a lady that
the Cuban--they shot her son. She had to watch him bleed to
death. You see protesters just have the heck beat out of them.
So it's just disgusting what Cuba is doing right now.
So if you have any ideas, just let me know.
Mr. Stroup. Will do. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Scott. Thank you.
Senator Lummis. Thank you for those important questions,
Senator Scott.
I want to give Senator Hickenlooper a chance to return and
so I'm going to complete my line of questioning while we wait
for him certainly with gratitude toward our Senators who are
participating today and to our panel.
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, more than just
tracking orbital debris, there must be a bigger push to prevent
debris in the first place and, more importantly, in my opinion,
to take out the trash or de-orbit space junk.
So from all of you, I'd like to hear about the
possibilities and challenges of de-orbiting debris and some of
the current private sector initiatives to do so. This is
something that I would think has to be a priority for us.
So let's start with Ms. Drees and hopefully just go down
the line.
Ms. Drees. Thank you, Senator, for the question.
I'll make two points on that. So, Number 1, a lot of the
new satellites being developed today are cube sats or small
sats and they have the technology essentially available to
essentially bring the satellite back down into the top layer of
the atmosphere and burn up in the atmosphere. So at the end of
its useful life, that's essentially the next step in the
process.
In order to address your question about what do we do about
some of the legacy systems, the older systems that remain up in
higher orbits, I think the good news story there is there are
companies that are coming online that are helping to fix that
problem either in terms of robotics or other companies that are
trying to find other methods to gather up some of the debris
and, you know, potentially destroy or burn it up.
I'll turn it over to Kevin.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Mr. O'Connell.
Mr. O'Connell. Thank you, Senator.
So, you know, we've been talking a lot about organizations
and the Open Architecture Data Repository. We really have four
tools in our toolkit. We may have more but we certainly have
four.
One is not creating new debris as we go up and there's some
important technical developments in that area from academia and
industry that are going to provide light coverage for
satellites and things like that.
Second is improving space situational awareness, third is
space traffic management function, and the fourth is active
debris removal.
In addition to that, there's a whole emerging sector called
Satellite Servicing which is going to help improve the life of
satellites while in space. Further, space tugs will be able to
move things from orbits to graveyard orbits, as they're
affectionately referred, and other places. So there are options
in our toolkit to deal with this.
I think the active debris removal, we're seeing a lot of
interest in this in Japan and in Europe. I know there are a
number of companies in the United States that would like to see
more of an emphasis, more of an investment in some of the basic
technologies that they will need to do that, but we're not
without a capability to deal with this in many different ways.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Dr. Holzinger.
Dr. Holzinger. Thank you, Senator.
So maybe there are two points I'd like to make on this
topic. Number 1 is that most systems or methods, techniques to
remove spacecraft from orbit, remove debris from orbit may
appear to others to sometimes be dual use. So one person's
rendezvous vehicle, you know, could have multiple potential
interpretations, and so any time, you know, we're looking
toward de-orbiting objects or managing debris, I think
transparency is key in terms of what it is we're going to take
down and de-orbit and why.
There was a NASA study some years ago that suggested that
de-orbiting five large rocket body style objects each year
would freeze the current debris population, mitigate it to that
extent. That was before, I think, many of the mega
constellations had been proposed and begun to be launched and
so I would imagine that that number is higher these days.
The final points I'll briefly make, again being an
academic, I get to see a lot of the new and latest research on
these topics, just for awareness I will mention that the
graveyard orbit above geo is also largely unstable in the long
term and there are very few select orbits in the graveyard
orbit that won't ultimately end up causing collision issues
over the next 50 or hundred years.
Senator Lummis. Thank you.
Mr. Graziani.
Mr. Graziani. Great question and glad you brought this up.
I'll start off as Dr. Holzinger just mentioned, the graveyard
orbit for geosynchronous.
So the one thing that does happen now is operators, once
their spacecraft are getting toward the end of life, will try
to move their spacecraft from geosynchronous up to that.
Now one of the things that's happening is there's more and
more interest in orbits between the Earth and the Moon or
Cislunar and so as that kind of pans out, that's more and more
of a problem and more junk up there that previously we didn't
actually go through that often because only interplanetary and
to the moon.
Next, I think this was mentioned a couple of times and I
agree that pulling the large pieces of debris that are already
up there down so they don't become thousands and tens of
thousands of small pieces of debris is key. It's doable and
something--and there are many different companies that are
working on that and that's substantial, and then continuing to
work backward here, there's at least one company that has
proposed--Launch Space Technologies Corporation has proposed
orbiting debris catching pads that will try to catch the very
small debris, the debris that is not trackable. It's a very
innovative approach and one of the companies that's--it's a
U.S.-based company and they're looking to partner with both the
DOC as well as NASA and even the Department of Defense to help
that become a reality and that's in answer to small and
trackable debris.
Then continuing to go backward before that and the point
you made, that is, that observing, having a much better space
situational awareness system that allows us to know where
everything is and then take action to prevent the collisions
from happening is also key.
Right now we're on track to have a major collision in low
earth orbit roughly every 10 years and that problem is only
getting worse and worse. So that the SSA side of this and the
STM is a critical part of the answer to your question.
Senator Lummis. Thank you. This is really helpful.
Mr. Stroup.
Mr. Stroup. My colleagues have done a good job of answering
the question, but I would also add that SIA has developed a set
of space safety principles and one element of it that hasn?t
been touched upon is that most Leo satellites are designed to
de-orbit and to burn up on re-entry. So our principals
encourage addressing these issues as part of their operation
commercially.
Thank you for the question.
Senator Lummis. Thank you all, panelists.
I yield back to the Chairman, the gentleman from Colorado.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Ranking Member Lummis.
I'd now like to turn it over to the Chair of the overall
Commerce Committee, the great Senator from Washington, Maria
Cantwell.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON
The Chair. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Hickenlooper, and
thank you and Senator Lummis for holding this important
hearing. Thank you to all the witnesses who are here.
This is a very important topic for many companies in the
Pacific Northwest because we're continuing to focus on space in
so many different ways. We like to think that we're the Silicon
Valley of space issues.
I think I've mentioned even in this committee I met people
who told me they were working on materials for a space hotel. I
thought they meant like in your backyard, giving you more space
so your relatives could come and visit, like an REI solution.
They said no, up there. I'm working on materials for up there.
OK. So let's just say that people are planning ahead in the
Pacific Northwest.
So, Dr. Holzinger, what are the--you've been having this
discussion about traffic and traffic management and I'm a firm
believer in using all the information we can to develop a
system for that because we're going to need to, but what can
our universities do now? What is the appropriate role for some
of these institutions that could help, you know, in doing this?
Dr. Holzinger. Thank you, Senator Cantwell.
Our universities have a couple of critical roles in this
activity. Principally, especially at the R1 research
universities, our activities center around researching the
fundamental basic research and developing technologies that
enable SSA/STM and improve those activities, so basic research
and applied research to do those things.
Another aspect of our endeavor in this front is to train
the work force. So that means training Master's students, Ph.D.
students to perform these activities, and, anecdotally, I might
offer that across the country, approximately 300 Ph.D. students
are graduated in aerospace each year but only a small fraction
of those are actually in space.
We've already heard from one Senator before that it's
difficult to find engineers that are sufficiently trained in
this activity and that's a challenge, you know, of course, that
we face and that, of course, relates to our previous activity
in research.
Traditionally, Ph.D. students are funded on research for
five-six years and, you know, continuity of funding for that
research is a critical element of that activity.
The Chair. So what would you think that study would look
like or what would that degree be called?
Dr. Holzinger. So that degree sits pretty squarely in what
I would imagine to be aerospace engineering and turns out that
the University of Colorado actually already has a graduate
certificate on space domain awareness that ties together many
of these aspects.
Some of those aspects are physics-based, some are more
information theory and controls-based, and others tie into
things like human factors and how operators can actually
interpret what's going on up on orbit and make sense out of
those things.
The Chair. Well, now that the deputy at NASA, Pam Melroy,
she's basically said that this is a situation that's getting
dire, so not a lot of commercial activity in the last 10 days.
So what do you think commercial space perspective is on the
situation?
Dr. Holzinger. Could you repeat that last part?
The Chair. The commercial space perspective on this issue,
as we have people who are planning activities, and as the
Deputy Director is calling it, we need a reliable space traffic
system and the situation is getting dire. So how do you think
about where we are with commercial activity and this issue and
the urgency of getting something done?
Dr. Holzinger. So in my opening statement, I'll repeat some
of these statements, it's both inspiring and terrifying what
the commercial space industry is doing. It's inspiring because
it's an excellent thing. It's an excellent avenue to grow our
economy and there's a lot of future potential and prosperity
that we have the potential to reap in the future.
It's terrifying in the sense that the current standards and
methodologies that we use stem ultimately from the 1960s,
1970s, and 1980s and haven't really leveraged the modern
techniques that have been developed over the past couple
decades and so from a university perspective, you know, I think
that the best thing that we can do is to improve those means,
methods, and techniques, and to have as much transparency and
open information about those activities as possible on the
commercial front.
The Chair. And then identifying the type of technology we
need because if we're talking about smaller objects and it's
hard to track or hard to track their telemetry of how fast
they're going, is that what we need?
Dr. Holzinger. Absolutely. So elements of that in terms of
infrastructure include things like more sensors with better
detection thresholds, the ability to collect and fuse that
information in close to real time, the ability to fuse that
information also with current space weather and to be able to
issue indications and warnings of potentially deleterious
effects.
The Chair. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you again for this hearing.
Senator Hickenlooper. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Now we're going to turn it over remotely to Senator Young
from Indiana. He has a few questions to ask.
Senator Young.
STATEMENT OF HON. TODD YOUNG,
U.S. SENATOR FROM INDIANA
Senator Young. Thank you, Chairman, and I, of course, want
to thank the entire panel for your presence here today.
When I spoke with Administrator Nelson during his
nomination process, we discussed the gray zone of warfare. It's
a form of combat that lies between the threshold of traditional
warfare in areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence,
robotics, and war.
According to a recent unclassified threat assessment,
numerous countries are attempting to capitalize on these
potential vulnerabilities.
I'll open this to the panel, but, Mr. O'Connell, first,
please, I'll start with you. What steps can and should the
Department of Commerce and NASA take to prevent other countries
from interfering with or outright attacking our infrastructure
in space and perhaps you could touch on whether or not further
coordination is necessary with our national security agencies
to combat these threats?
Mr. O'Connell. Senator, thanks very much for the question
and a dimension of this that we have not spoken about
previously is the fact that the Department of Defense wanted to
get out of the piece of the mission that we've been talking
about, the commercial notifications, the private sector
notifications, partly because of the growing security
complexity in space.
I don't believe the Commerce Department has any role in
combat operations obviously, but we will obviously have
awareness of a variety of activities that are underway in the
private sector and, frankly, with our allies, as well.
During my time at Commerce, we enjoyed discussions, not
just general ones but also technical ones, with our
Commonwealth allies, with our European allies, with Japan, and
many, many others about the importance of a civil space traffic
management system. The extent to which many of these things
will be looked at in the open may actually deter people from
doing things such as you speak about, Senator, and so I don't
think the Commerce Department has a role on the military path
part of that but certainly it is the reason why DoD wanted to
get out of this piece of the mission, namely, to work on space
domain awareness, as it's referred to, and the locational piece
that we were taking over at Commerce certainly fueled their
ability to move in that direction and deal with more serious
security threats.
Mr. Graziani. Mr. Chairman, if I could add to Mr.
O'Connell's comments, one of the things that happens when
commercial companies are providing space situational awareness
for space traffic management to the Department of Commerce is
that those systems stand up and in a similar way that imagery
systems, commercial imagery systems kind of provide a full
transparency out there, over and beyond what systems that the
U.S. Government has provided by and operated by the National
Reconnaissance Office, in the same way commercial space
situational awareness capabilities can bring that similar
transparency to things going on in space.
So, for instance, right now some of these anti-satellite
weapons that both China and Russia are launching are up there
as satellites that are seen by these commercial SSA systems and
are the commercial companies warn on those just like they warn
on others and you'll have Russian signal intelligence
satellites. They're getting very close to U.S. commercial
communications satellites and the same thing with Chinese anti-
satellite weapons and so the commercial SSA systems by their
nature bring a transparency that will help with that problem.
Senator Young. I see, I see. Mr. Stroup, do you have any
reflections as it relates to this topic, sir?
Mr. Stroup. Yes. I'd like to address the cyber-security
aspect of it.
The SIA developed a set of cybersecurity best practices a
few years ago. Most of our members, most commercial satellite
companies sell to the Defense Department and coordinate with
the DoD to make sure that they're compliant with DoD
cybersecurity requirements. So it's an issue that the industry
takes very seriously.
Thank you.
Senator Young. Sure. Anyone else?
[No response.]
Senator Young. OK. I would just note that, you know,
there's obviously a convergence here between your national
security assets that we have located in space and then what you
might think of as an extension of our supply chain, our global
positioning system satellites, you know, our various other
space assets, you know, at a commercial level that are needed,
and this distinction between traditional national security
assets on the one hand and commercial assets on another, as
we've seen with the shutdown of pipelines here in the United
States, it's not become blurred. It's really become a race.
So we're going to have to tear down the stovepipes and
ensure that there's better coordination with our national
security agencies moving forward.
So if you have any further thoughts about this moving
forward, I'd welcome the opportunity to work with any of the
panelists.
Thank you.
Mr. O'Connell. Senator, I have one point on that. The
extent to which supply chain issues are in play here obviously
Commerce does play a key role.
I'll make one observation, though, which is that in
traditional space companies, larger space companies, there is
more of a sensitivity to the de-orientation toward defense
articles, et cetera, and so there is probably less
vulnerability in the supply chain.
What we found when we looked at some of the smaller
entrepreneurial companies was that they were more exposed on
the supply chain issue. So I think the balance will be as we
tighten up our supply chains, we need to be careful not to
choke off opportunities for American entrepreneurs to leverage
friendly country technologies. It's an important issue.
Senator Young. Yes. Thank you.
Senator Hickenlooper. Point well taken. Thank you, Senator
Young.
Thank you all for your presence here today. Obviously
Colorado's got 500 aerospace companies, 30,000 employees. We're
just a reflection of how important this is, and I think you all
have contributed to that recognition that this is a significant
form of commerce and I think this is the right place where the
responsibility has to reside and that the relationship between
government and business and how we look at best practices
versus regulatory frameworks is crucial.
I think this committee is open to really hearing clearly as
this work goes forward, hearing clearly without slowing down in
any way the process, making sure that we respect that sense of
urgency that you have all brought to the hearing is crucial.
I want to thank the Ranking Member for filling in. I had to
go to a vote where there was going to be a tie vote. So I could
not be AWOL. Appreciate all your indulgence.
The hearing record is going to remain open for two weeks,
until August 5, 2021. Any other Senators who are listening are
welcome to submit questions for the record should do so by July
29, and we hope that your responses will be returned to the
Committee by August 5. We give you all of like 6 days, 7 days
to respond. We apologize but again the sense of urgency
pervades.
I want to thank everyone again just for your time and your
effort. I couldn't help but recognize as we talk about the
acceleration of the rate of change, right, in terms of space
traffic that it is--on highway traffic and I realize this is a
very loose analogy, but traffic increases up to a certain point
and then there is a point where things stop. Accidents
increase, traffic rate slows dramatically. The systems begins
to fall apart, and I think in that loose sense this is an
analogy that we're rapidly approaching that point where the
dramatic increases in traffic are going to wreak havoc if we
don't address them now and you're all doing that and again
thank you all.
With that, I bring this hearing to an adjournment.
[Whereupon, at 11:31 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
Karina Drees
Question 1. Since the Obama Administration, space policy experts
have debated whether the Department of Commerce or Department of
Transportation is the appropriate home for civil space traffic
management responsibilities. As I noted at the hearing, experts like
Pamela Melroy, now the Deputy NASA Administrator, have said what
matters most is committing to an agency and giving it the resources to
succeed because the need for reliable space traffic management services
is getting dire. What is the commercial space industry's perspective on
this issue?
Answer. The commercial space industry supports the Department of
Commerce assuming civilian Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space
Traffic Management (STM) responsibilities. Our industry recommendation
is consistent with that of the National Academy of Public
Administration report, which noted that Commerce is the most
appropriate and most capable Federal agency for this important mission.
We would encourage the Department of Commerce to expeditiously conclude
the ongoing SSA study period with multiple outside entities and proceed
into rapid development and deployment of an operational civilian SSA
capability.
Additionally, as Deputy Administrator Melroy highlighted, it is
critical that any agency (in this case, Commerce) be provided
sufficient resources and encouragement to successfully execute on this
effort.
It is also important to note that the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) maintains a role defining orbital debris regulations
for U.S.-licensed communications systems. CSF respectfully encourages
the Committee and FCC to work together in closing the regulatory
loophole that enables foreign-licensed systems to waive into the U.S.
market without complying with FCC orbital debris regulations. This
situation increases risk for all satellite operators--both commercial
and Government--and an effective STM regime would be incomplete without
a uniform requirement on all companies serving the U.S. market,
regardless of country of licensing.
Question 2. A recent report by the JASON defense advisory panel
found that, given the trajectory for upcoming satellite launches, we
may be inching towards a point where certain orbits are so congested
that they become unusable. But it is clear how much benefit modern
society gains from space services, ranging from GPS to broadband that
can reach rural, previously unserved areas. Amazon and SpaceX both have
Washington state facilities dedicated to helping launch a total of
between 15,000 and 45,000 satellites, with the goal of providing
connectivity all over the world. In light of this report, what are some
key actions the committee should consider taking, balancing space
sustainability with enabling the important benefits that could be
provided by the commercial space industry?
Answer. The JASON report appropriately noted the work that
commercial companies--many of which are CSF members--are doing in
coordination with the U.S. Government and the scientific community to
ensure a sustainable space environment. The report correctly highlights
that non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems operating well
above 600 km significantly increase the risk of persistent debris
lasting decades, centuries, or longer in orbit--clearly a major
challenge. At the same time, the report praises commercial satellite
systems operating at or below this 600 km level due to the self-
cleaning nature of these orbits that eliminates the possibility of
persistent orbital debris.
CSF would encourage the committee to explore several key policy
actions along with FCC and the Department of Commerce, specifically
that NGSO satellite systems operating significantly above 600 km should
not be licensed or should at least be subjected to far more stringent
regulations than those operating below 600 km, including requirements
for propulsive operations, mandatory deorbit within five years of end
of system life, and comprehensive data sharing. Without these
requirements, systems operating above this altitude create unacceptable
risk for the entire space ecosystem.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Edward Markey to
Karina Drees
Question. Could you please describe how commercial orbital
servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities might be used as an
innovative solution to address the orbital debris issue? And specific
to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, what kind of
mission might the Agency support to demonstrate the ability of
commercial orbital servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities
to mitigate orbital debris?
Answer. CSF's more than 80 member organizations are proud to
partner with NASA and other Federal R&D agencies to provide innovative
solutions to advance the state of the art, enhance safety, and improve
affordability in space exploration and utilization. Long-term,
sustainable activity in space requires an integrated effort that
includes the development of innovative capabilities like in-space
manufacturing and spacecraft servicing. U.S. commercial industry has
made great technical strides and significant private investments into
development of technological capabilities around in-space robotic
assembly and manufacturing, and these capabilities should be leveraged
to the maximum extent possible through additional public-private
partnerships. We look forward to continuing to bring the best of
commercial industry to support America's leadership in space.
On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM) technologies
provide key enabling capabilities for both the mitigation and removal
of space orbital debris. With the development of mission modelling for
rendezvous and proximity operations through servicing, manipulation of
objects with precision robotics through assembly, and the manufacturing
with attachment of objects through manufacturing, these methods can
help mitigate orbital debris, along with responsible action by
satellite system operators. By funding and focusing on this technology
ecosystem, satellites can be equipped to be multi-functional with the
capability of not only prolonging the life of an asset or increasing
the capability of a spacecraft, but by using these same technologies to
deorbit or place debris in places where it will not affect future
missions into Earth's orbit. OSAM technologies are critical for both
mitigating the existing debris problem with non-compliant objects and
creating new space systems that are designed from the onset for
sustainability, repair, and replacement in a way that doesn't make the
issue worse.
A demonstration of rendezvous and proximity operations that include
assembly of a local payload or spacecraft would be a discrete mission
that allows for multiple technology demonstrations of grabbing an
object and then placing it along the spacecraft to be transported to a
new location. This would be accomplished using robotics that are
located on the servicing & assembly spacecraft as well as the mission
modeling and planning that are required to be utilized for future OSAM
missions.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Ben Ray Lujan to
Karina Drees
Optical and Radio Telescopes. New Mexico houses one of the world's
premier astronomical radio observatories, the Very Large Array. It can
map large-scale structure of gas and molecular clouds in deep space and
pinpoint ejections of plasma from supermassive black holes. The VLA is
also a high-precision spacecraft tracker that NASA and ESA have used to
keep tabs on robotic spacecrafts exploring the Solar System.
Question 1. With recent commercialization focused around small-
satellite constellations, how will SSA and STM ensure that these
constellations and their debris do not interfere with scientific
research that utilizes optical and radio telescopes?
Answer. CSF member companies are committed to protecting ground-
based radio and optical astronomy sites through responsible operations
and by implementing key technological innovations like spacecraft
darkening, phased array antenna technology that dynamically avoids
sensitive radio astronomy sites, and more.
Specifically, the JASON report appropriately highlights that
several operators have a deep technical interchange with the scientific
community, including with the Very Large Array, to collaboratively
develop, test, and implement solutions to mitigate any impacts to
astronomy instruments. CSF supports the National Science Foundation's
Spectrum Innovation Initiative that helps to both increase spectrum
available to commercial users while also ensuring no impact to radio
astronomy systems.
CSF shares the JASON report's concern relative to satellite systems
operating above 600 km, specifically that these systems are visible for
far longer each night and could create lasting concerns for ground-
based astronomy systems. NASA has also commented on the record that it
supports lowering the altitude of NGSO satellite systems below 600 km.
For satellite systems operating above 600 km, an effective SSA and
STM regime is critical to ensuring that persistent orbital debris does
not create lasting challenges from ground-based astronomy instruments.
Accordingly, CSF would encourage regulatory action that require all
satellite operators serving the U.S. market to (1) comply with the same
orbital debris standards, instead of the current situation that enables
foreign-licensed providers to avoid them; (2) provide high-fidelity
tracking data into an open database (i.e., one operated by the
Department of Commerce) accessible by all operators to reduce the risk
of on-orbit conjunctions; and (3) ensure spacecraft de-orbit within
five years of end of operational life.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Raphael Warnock to
Karina Drees
Research Efforts. From the landing of the first man on the moon to
NASA's more recent breakthrough with the Perseverance Rover, the United
States has been a global pioneer in space exploration. As we look
toward the emergence of commercial space flight, we must ensure we have
reliable data and research on space situational awareness (SSA) and
civil space traffic management (STM). Addressing the scientific and
technological needs of the commercial space flight industry will be
critical to the gathering SSA data and civil STM research.
Question. How can Congress support the research efforts of the
commercial spaceflight industry with regard to managing space traffic?
Answer. CSF's more than 80 member organizations are proud to
partner with NASA and other Federal R&D agencies to provide innovative
solutions to advance the state of the art, enhance safety, and improve
affordability in space exploration and utilization. Long-term,
sustainable activity in space requires an integrated effort that
includes the development of innovative capabilities like in-space
manufacturing and spacecraft servicing. U.S. commercial industry has
made great technical strides and significant private investments into
development of technological capabilities around in-space robotic
assembly and manufacturing, and these capabilities should be leveraged
to the maximum extent possible through additional public-private
partnerships. We look forward to continuing to bring the best of
commercial industry to support America's leadership in space.
On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM) technologies
provide key enabling capabilities for both the mitigation and removal
of space orbital debris. With the development of mission modeling for
rendezvous and proximity operations through servicing, manipulation of
objects with precision robotics through assembly, and the manufacturing
with attachment of objects through manufacturing, these methods can
help mitigate orbital debris, along with responsible action by
satellite system operators. By funding and focusing on this technology
ecosystem, satellites can be equipped to be multi-functional with the
capability of not only prolonging the life of an asset or increasing
the capability of a spacecraft, but by using these same technologies to
deorbit or place debris in places where it will not affect future
missions into Earth's orbit. OSAM technologies are critical for both
mitigating the existing debris problem with non-compliant objects and
creating new space systems that are designed from the onset for
sustainability, repair, and replacement in a way that doesn't make the
issue worse.
A demonstration of rendezvous and proximity operations that include
assembly of a local payload or spacecraft would be a discrete mission
that allows for multiple technology demonstrations of grabbing an
object and then placing it along the spacecraft to be transported to a
new location. This would be accomplished using robotics that are
located on the servicing & assembly spacecraft as well as the mission
modeling and planning that are required to be utilized for future OSAM
missions.
In addition, we encourage continued SSA research efforts with
industry and academia to further characterize the spaceflight
environment. The commercial satellite industry is highly motivated to
operate safely, including avoiding debris creation, and responsible
deorbiting practices. A growing in-space safety industry is emerging of
ground based radars to collect more accurate SSA data, new AI and
related software tools for automating and optimizing collision
avoidance maneuvers. These efforts could all be improved by
implementing the ``open-architecture data repository'' strategy that
the Office of Space Commerce developed from 2018-2020, which was
endorsed on by the National Academy of Public Administration in 2020,
and funded by the Omnibus Appropriation for FY 2021. Dozens of
spacecraft operators and support service providers are continuing to
self-fund R&D to improve commercial SSA capabilities and look forward
to working the U.S. Government to integrate their data into the OADR to
allow continued and sustainable growth of Earth orbit utilization to
address important telecommunication and environmental monitoring/
science needs of the American people.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
Dr. Marcus J. Holzinger
Research and Development Needs. There are over 100 million pieces
of orbital debris circling the Earth. This debris poses a risk to human
life, for instance on the International Space Station, but also to the
aspirations of the burgeoning space industry, which has a footprint of
nearly 100 companies in Washington state alone. The last time this
Committee considered this issue, I was appalled to learn from Dr.
Moriba Jah that there are large knowledge gaps in how orbital debris
behaves in space, which we need to know if we are going to protect our
people and our assets. The SPACE Act, which Ranking Member Wicker and I
have passed twice through the Committee, includes funding for this
necessary research.
Question 1. What are the most pressing issues for further research
and development and how best do you think our universities and
companies can help resolve them?
Answer. Thank you for your questions, Senator Cantwell. In the near
term, candidate topics for research and development should be enabling
and promise substantive impact on civil SSA (Space Situational
Awareness)/STM (Space Traffic Management). These topics include:
Investigation of basic SSA/STM algorithms non-Keplerian
orbits beyond GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit)
Discussion and modernization of state and uncertainty
representation for tracked objects · Fundamental and
operational research on SSA/STM human factors and cognitive
engineering regarding how decisions are rendered, and trust is
built, much like Air Traffic Control. We must understand human
SSA/STM operator workflow and interfaces with autonomous and
support algorithms.
Advanced methods in data visualization and interpretation
should be pursued. STM is more complex than Air Traffic
Management (ATM), and methods developed for ATM are not
necessarily transferrable to STM.
Investigate spaceflight safety, sustainability, and
commercial viability for orbit allocation strategies in LEO
(Low Earth Orbit), MEO (Medium Earth Orbit), and beyond GEO
· Methods and approaches to achieving cooperation and
consensus in developing norms of behavior and `rules of the
road' amongst commercial, government, academic, and
international stakeholders for SSA/STM. · Integration
and exploitation of new results in decision-making under
uncertainty in both centralized and decentralized sensor
tasking and decision support systems.
Rigorous verification and validation methods to validate
spaceflight safety of commercial spacecraft and constellation
command and control algorithms without compromising proprietary
commercial information.
Combined, these basic research problems and technologies offer the
potential to drastically improve spaceflight safety, maintain our
future access to space, and ensure sustained commercially viable
enterprises. Further, if the United States is able to successfully
answer these questions, we will both possess an authoritative and
incontrovertible set of approaches for international leadership in SSA/
STM and will have, in the process, developed substantial domestic
workforce resources necessary to execute successful civil SSA/STM. The
research listed above is not exhaustive, however I wish to emphasize
that properly answering these fundamental, enabling, and impactful
problems will require $10-20M/year in sustained funding for at least a
decade. Universities and companies can directly support these endeavors
through federally funded and internal research and development efforts.
Specific Federal programs are discussed in more detail in the following
questions. As part of this research, I recommend that at least 1-2 SSA/
STM Centers of Excellence be competitively selected and funded.
Successful centers should involve multiple universities, industry
partners, and technical collaborators within OSC (Office of Space
Commerce).
Question 2. Given your experience as a researcher, what steps
should the Federal government, including specific Federal agencies,
take to help advance R&D required for space situational awareness and
space traffic management?
Answer. Below I enumerate three specific steps that the Federal
government should take to facilitate advancement of required research
and development for SSA/STM:
1. Sustained substantive funding for academia in basic research for
academia from OSC, AFOSR (Air Force Office of Scientific
Research), AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory), NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration), etc. This serves the
dual purpose of addressing the need for basic and applied
research and SSA/STM workforce development. Centers of
Excellence should be a component of this funding, but there
should be other smaller funding mechanisms available to include
excellent ideas that come from outside of these Centers of
Excellence.
2. In my original written statement, I proposed that the government
entity with mission authority (e.g., OSC) over civil SSA/STM
should have, as part of its mandate, some level of access,
visibility, and potentially input into research pursued by
other entities (such as AFOSR, AFRL, and NASA). We may consider
rotating research program officers from these constituent
organizations through such a coordination role to maximize
knowledge transfer, buy-in, and awareness amongst government-
funded research programs in SSA/STM.
3. I wish to re-emphasize my proposed government-led SSA/STM decadal
survey from my original written testimony. We must leverage the
wisdom and technical expertise of the larger domain of SSA/STM
researchers and operational experts to inform what research
topics should be further explored. To do so, we should consider
following NASA's lead in engaging impartial entities (e.g., the
National Research Council, the National Academies, or other
groups) to conduct decadal surveys identifying promising
avenues of basic research and technology development. To ensure
these decadal survey reports capture research opportunities and
operational needs, I propose that government, industry, and
academic researchers and practitioners contribute to these
reports. These studies should be funded by the Federal agency
with mission authority (i.e., OSC).
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Kyrsten Sinema to
Dr. Marcus J. Holzinger
FCC Satellite Rules. Some have concerns that an industry ``best
practices'' approach on space debris will not be able to ameliorate
this issue. Some satellite operators may not abide by such industry
practices given the relatively low cost of launching satellites into
space and the competitive nature of the satellite business. Against
this backdrop, some feel the FCC's satellite rules have not yet fully
considered the number of satellites now coming into orbit nor do the
rules contemplate the constellation of satellites that some satellite
companies are launching into space.
Question 1. What steps should the FCC consider pursuing to address
this issue?
Answer. Thank you, Senator Sinema, for your questions.
The FCC is currently required to render licensing decisions without
(1) sufficient SSA/STM community research and consensus into best
practices, norms of behavior, and rules of the road, (2) independent
analysis of proposed commercial architectures, and (3) deep internal
expertise in astrodynamics, SSA/STM, relevant sensors, and human
operations. The FCC should continue and expand their collaboration with
the Department of Commerce Office of Space Commerce (OSC) and the USSF
to bring our current orbit deconfliction and deorbit requirements into
the 21st century. Development of norms of behavior, rules of the road,
and orbit allocation/approval guidelines should engage federal,
private, academic, and international stakeholders. Further, the FCC
should consider transitioning orbit approval requests to OSC when those
capabilities exist and focus on core FCC capabilities such as frequency
allocations and licensing.
Role of Universities to Study Space Situational Awareness (SSA). In
your written testimony, you recommend establishing a Center of
Excellence to study SSA, preferably at an institute of higher
education. Arizona universities have a long history of partnering with
NASA to study our solar system. Examples include the University of
Arizona's Asteroid Science, Technology and Exploration Research
Organized by Inclusive Education Systems (ASTROIDS) Lab and Arizona
State University's Mars Space Flight Facility.
Question 1. Why does it make sense for universities to host a
proposed Center for Excellence for SSA? What criteria should be used
when selecting an institute of higher education to host such a Center?
Answer. Successful execution of a robust civil SSA/STM enterprise
will require extensive supporting research as well as substantial
existing workforce and workforce development resources. Consortiums of
universities are the correct entity to host proposed Centers of
Excellence for SSA/STM because (1) their core capabilities lie in basic
and applied research and (2) they are the principal means by which SSA/
STM workforce development is performed. University-led Centers of
Excellent address both fundamental research and workforce development
needs while being extremely cost-effective with taxpayer funds.
Criteria for selecting University teams for SSA/STM Centers of
Excellence should include:
1. Excellent and highly impactful proposed basic research and
enabling technology development that both maximizes and trades
against spaceflight safety, future access to space, and
commercially efficient/profitable use of space.
2. Demonstrated existing basic and applied research and workforce
development in SSA/STM (as opposed to related fields, such as
Astronomy or Planetary Science).
3. Extensive throughput and high-quality SSA/STM training of
undergraduate, M.S., and Ph.D. students to support workforce
development needs.
4. Substantial existing research relationships with AFRL Space
Vehicles and Directed Energy Directorates and USSF operations
centers; proximity to these sites would be ideal.
5. Deep comprehension and understanding of existing USSF SSA/STM
methodologies and approaches, as well as a thorough
understanding of spacecraft and constellation operational
needs.
6. Extensive existing relationships and technology transfer with the
SSA/STM industry and commercial spacecraft operators; proximity
to these companies would be ideal.
7. Expertise in and access to electro-optical and radiofrequency
sensors to validate basic research and proposed technology
efficacy.
Near-Earth Objects. In addition to materials orbiting the Earth,
near-earth objects such as asteroids pose risks. The University of
Arizona is leading NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission, which
will enhance our ability to detect any potential hazardous asteroid or
comet that comes within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit.
Question 1. Why is it important for NASA to keep track of all near-
earth objects that may collide with Earth?
Answer. NASA's Planetary Defense enterprise's efforts to track and
characterize all near Earth objects (NEOs) are important and
complementary to SSA/STM needs for two principal reasons.
First, NEOs and artificial spacecraft can and often do transition
between sun-centric (heliocentric) regimes and the Earth-Moon system.
We must necessarily track NEOs and artificial debris in heliocentric
space to ensure timely and orderly handoff between Earth-Moon-focused
SSA/STM activities and Planetary Defense concerns. I draw your
attention to the recent `2020 SO' object detected by NASA's Planetary
Defense enterprise that entered the Earth-Moon system in October 2020,
whose trajectory possessed several Earth and Moon close-approaches. It
was determined during this period that the 2020 SO object is likely a
rocket booster from the 1967 Surveyor mission.
Second, as we extend SSA/STM to cislunar and lunar regimes, most
spacecraft and debris in these regimes will present telescope optical
signatures that are remarkably similar to heliocentric NEOs. In the
near future OSC will need to coordinate SSA/STM efforts in cislunar/
lunar space with NASA's Planetary Defense activities.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Raphael Warnock to
Tom Stroup
Research Efforts. From the landing of the first man on the moon to
NASA's more recent breakthrough with the Perseverance Rover, the United
States has been a global pioneer in space exploration. As we look
toward the emergence of commercial space flight, we must ensure we have
reliable data and research on space situational awareness (SSA) and
civil space traffic management (STM). Addressing the scientific and
technological needs of the commercial space flight industry will be
critical to the gathering SSA data and civil STM research.
Question. How can Congress support the research efforts of the
commercial spaceflight industry with regard to managing space traffic?
Answer. For SIA members, space sustainability and a safe,
predictable operating environment are vital to protect substantial on-
orbit investments and the services and networks they enable. As the
number of users who rely on satellite-enabled services continues to
increase, maintaining and enhancing the safety of the orbital
environment is essential to the continued provision of communications,
imagery, remote sensing, and other next-generation applications and
services. Given industry needs, SIA is working to promote commercial
innovation and solutions to: (i) build effective, feasible standards
and guidelines for space sustainability; (ii) encourage the effective
utilization of technologies, many of which have been created by U.S.
companies, for space object tracking and SSA; and (iii)develop primary
and supporting technologies to perform active debris removal, satellite
servicing, and life extension missions.
In addition to providing adequate funding for a civil SSA/STCM
service within the Office of Space Commerce, Congress can assist
industry by supporting space weather research and space debris
characterization research, funding R&D for active debris removal
technologies, and integrating commercial SSA/STCM efforts into the OSC
Open Architecture Data Repository.
Currently, a number of SIA members actively support research and
development to further advance space weather models and forecasting
tools (e.g., teaming with academic researchers to assimilate satellite-
based, space weather observations into coupled ionosphere-magnetosphere
models), and to develop and improve understanding of space debris
prevalence and behaviors (e.g., performing surveys and classification
of debris objects and producing advanced orbit models to predict their
future courses). The adequate funding of these activities is critical
to the future of on-orbit operations for both government and commercial
organizations, as space weather anomalies and debris-generated effects
may cause not only the loss of singular satellites, but could cause the
loss of satellite signals, including GPS, for days resulting in
billions of dollars of loss to the U.S. economy.\1\ Accurate space
weather prediction is also critical to determining orbital decay in LEO
and minimizing debris on-orbit.\2\
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\1\ Goward, Dana. ``Racing the Sun to Protect America'', NextGov,
14 May 2021, https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2021/05/racing-sun-protect-
america/174029/
\2\ Space Weather Phase 1 Benchmarks, Report by the Space Weather
Operations, Research, and Mitigation Subcommittee, Committee on
Homeland and National Security of the National Science & Technology
Council, June 2018 https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/
uploads/2018/06/Space-Weather-Phase-1-Benchmarks-Report.pdf
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While commercial organizations are actively working on debris
remediation mechanisms including active debris removal, the global
impact and potential long-term effects of space debris will require
government funding for debris remediation. Today, the top 50 most
dangerous pieces of space debris are almost entirely rocket bodies
launched by national governments,\3\ suggesting that government
financing of debris removal technologies will be critical to
maintaining a sustainable space environment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ O'Callaghan, Jonathan. ``These Are The 50 Most Dangerous
Objects Orbiting Earth Right Now'', Forbes, 20 September, 2020, https:/
/www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2020/09/10/experts-reveal-the-
50-most-dangerous-pieces-of-space-junk-orbiting-earth-right-now/?sh=3
729fe7d7c21
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Finally, several versions of commercial SSA and STCM services exist
today to augment government systems in a highly complementary way. The
continued development and adoption of both government and commercial
services in a further research and development efforts to create a
diverse STCM system will improve accuracy of decision-grade information
for space operators.
Funding needs for further research and development to enhance this
critical mission of space safety should come exclusively from the
responsible organization(s), and should only be requested when
capabilities are not already available through existing sources,
including other government agencies and government funded labs,
universities, and, most especially, commercial organizations.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Shelley Moore Capito to
Tom Stroup
Question 1. Orbital debris has become a challenging and potentially
dangerous obstacle for satellites. Through NASA's OSAM-1 program, West
Virginia's Robotic Technology Center has been able to develop and
advance technology that would extend the lifespans of existing
satellites. I have mentioned this before, but I am proud of the work
being done in West Virginia and feel this capability can be a solution.
Could you speak to some of your members' current or upcoming
capabilities for avoiding collisions?
What are some measures the satellite industry are taking--that the
Federal government could learn from--to foster safe and efficient use
of the shared space environment?
Answer. SIA takes stewardship of the space environment very
seriously. SIA released its set of Space Safety Principles in 2019 \1\
as a model for sustainable space best practices for all space
stakeholders, and SIA's space safety working group regularly engages
across U.S. government organizations as well as the United Nations on
space safety issues. Indeed, maintaining a safe space environment is
critical to the successful economic utilization of space. Commercial
satellite network operators emphasize different aspects of space safety
approaches, depending on their orbital regime, licensing status,
spacecraft type, etc., in general the measures taken by our members
include: (1) designing spacecraft with high reliability and the ability
to maneuver; (2) sharing information on the location and future
location of spacecraft to other owners and operators, and working
closely with the U.S. Government in sharing data with complete
transparency; (3) developing and implementing collision avoidance
technology and methods in cooperation with the U.S. Government; and (4)
deorbiting satellites in a timely manner at end-of-life to ensure that
``space junk'' is not left in active orbits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Space Safety Principles, Satellite Industry Association, 2019
https://sia.org/policy/space-debris-mitigation-sustainability/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIA's members work to be leaders in managing the space environment,
particularly by openly sharing information about their own positions
and intentions. However, not all space objects are controlled with
similarly high levels of responsibility. Broken pieces of rockets,
satellites which did not safely deorbit before they reached the ends of
their lives, and other types of debris are present in all orbital
regimes. These objects cannot move to avoid a collision and do not
communicate their own positions; responsible space operators must act
unilaterally to avoid them.
While the U.S. Department of Defense nominally tracks all these
objects and publishes their positions for free, even DoD-supplied
information about such a complex and dynamic situation can be imprecise
and outdated. At best, this leads to inefficiency when collision
avoidance is practiced needlessly; at worst it may provide an unmerited
sense of security that could lead to incidents. Multiple U.S.
commercial providers, ranging from small businesses to major
contractors, have stepped into the gap by collecting data independently
and offering advanced analytics and more precise collision warnings. As
the profile of active satellites grows and evolves rapidly over the
next decade, both government-provided and government-backed commercial
SSA systems will become even more critical to space safety.
The Federal government can fully fund a civil authority on space
traffic, which would support spaceborne activity by using sensors and
available data to observe and track satellites and debris at all
altitudes. A civil authority on space traffic, such as the Office of
Space Commerce, could promulgate regulations that ensure space safety
while maintaining an understanding of the need to address economic
impact. Such an authority could also manage programs to collect timely
data and perform enhanced analyses, making optimal use of unique U.S.
commercial capability in pursuit of the global good of safe and
efficient spaceways.
It is important to note, as I stated in my testimony, that not all
operators adhere to the same rules and standards, and most foreign
administrations do not have robust orbital debris regulations--the U.S.
clearly has the most robust regulations today, and steps should be
taken to ensure that the U.S. continues to lead the regulatory
environment here while not rewarding foreign licensed systems that
evade U.S. regulations.
Question 2. According to the Forest Service, just over 75 percent
of West Virginia is made of forested land. With the introduction of low
earth orbit (LEO) systems to the broadband ecosystem, I am curious to
the amount of open sky needed to operate ground terminals.
Are you able to speak to the potential relief these LEO Internet
service providers (ISPs) could bring to unserved West Virginians?
Are there concerns that heavily forested areas, like many areas in
West Virginia, may not be able to access these services due to
interference?
Answer. Today the commercial geostationary and non-geostationary
orbit satellites are bringing broadband services across the country
including West Virginia. Next generation satellite systems operating in
low Earth orbit are bringing high-speed, low-latency broadband across
the country, including to West Virginia. These systems are already
bringing previously unserved West Virginians broadband with speeds
exceeding 100 Mbps and latency below 30 milliseconds, which is on par
with most terrestrial services.
Due to the propagation of the radio-frequencies allocated to next-
generation satellite services both within the U.S. and globally,
service is best when a user has as clear a view of the sky as possible,
and heavy tree coverage can degrade service, especially early on in a
system's deployment. The amount of open sky required for optimal
service varies by provider, depending on how many satellites the
provider has in operation, the altitude of operations, and the specific
frequencies used for communications to user equipment. For instance,
with only a limited number of satellites deployed, a user may need a
wider view of the sky to ensure a direct line of sight to a satellite
in orbit. But that also means that the viewing angle will decrease with
time as these systems are more fully deployed. As more satellites
operate in orbit, users will need a smaller viewing angle to be sure at
least one satellite is in view at all times.
For LEO systems early on, the general recommendation is to have a
clear field of view of 100 degrees around the center of the user
equipment, and a higher elevation (i.e., placement on a roof or a pole
rather than on the ground). However, as more satellites are launched,
these field of view constraints will decrease, enabling a wider variety
of users. Again, these constraints and solutions will vary by system.
[all]