In accordance with Space Policy Directive 3 (SPD-3), the Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) has been tasked with taking over responsibility for managing commercial space traffic. This crucial shift transfers commercial space traffic coordination duties from the Department of Defense (DoD) to the OSC, reflecting the growing need to manage the increasing commercial activity in space and ensure a safer space environment.

The OSC is steadily progressing toward the full implementation of the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), a platform intended to manage commercial space traffic. TraCSS will provide satellite operators with timely warnings about potential collisions or conjunctions, alerting them up to six times per day to take necessary action. This system will enhance safety for spacecraft in orbit and help sustain the growing commercial use of space.

In its initial phase, the TraCSS system will utilize data from the existing DoD High Accuracy Catalog. Over time, however, it will start incorporating tracking and ephemeris data from satellite operators, commercial sources, and SSA service providers. This evolution will enable TraCSS to offer more precise and comprehensive tracking of space objects, leveraging cutting-edge commercial SSA technologies to enhance space traffic management.

To ensure the success of this transition, the OSC has conducted two pathfinder programs over the past year: the LEO Pathfinder and the Improved Operator-to-Operator Ephemeris Pathfinder. These initiatives are designed to evaluate the capabilities of commercial SSA data providers in maintaining a space object catalog, a responsibility traditionally managed by the DoD. Additionally, the pathfinders assess the quality of conjunction alerts generated for spaceflight safety.

Kayhan Space has played a critical role in these pathfinder programs, serving as a Data Quality Monitor (DQM). In this capacity, Kayhan Space acts as an independent evaluator, ensuring that the data being integrated into the TraCSS system from commercial providers meets stringent quality standards. As TraCSS evolves to incorporate data from multiple sources, the role of an impartial third-party evaluator like Kayhan Space becomes increasingly important. Kayhan’s function is to verify that both the incoming data and the SSA-derived products meet the necessary accuracy and reliability requirements.

Throughout the pathfinder efforts, Kayhan Space has collaborated closely with the OSC team and other commercial SSA data providers, offering their expertise to support a successful execution of the TraCSS implementation roadmap. This collaboration demonstrates the essential partnership between government agencies and the private sector in developing the next-generation space traffic management system.

Kayhan Space is proud to have earned the trust of the OSC to perform this crucial task. As the OSC continues its work to stand up the future of commercial space traffic coordination, we are committed to supporting their efforts and helping to create a safer, more secure space environment for all operators.