ISOC

Overview
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Italian Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Operations Center (ISOC) Services for ISS (ISOC [Ax-3]) on the private astronaut mission (PAM) Axiom-3 (Ax-3) evaluates a web-based space situational awareness (SSA) tool on the International Space Station. The investigation assesses the tool’s ability to conduct autonomous analysis of the risk of collision between a satellite and another object in orbit and compares space weather alerts with the actual experience of crew members.

‍Research Overview

• The investigation Italian Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Operations Center (ISOC) Services for ISS (ISOC [Ax-3]) conducts operational testing and evaluation of a web-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) tool on the International Space Station during the Ax-3 mission.
• The payload also demonstrates a proactive diagnostics capability by conducting autonomous conjunction analysis on board the space station that compares space weather alerts with the actual experience of crew members.
• This demonstration tests capabilities for the Italian Air Force, the national provider of SSA services for the benefit of Italian strategic assets and interests, and the Italian SSA Centre, the leading Centre for Re-Entry and Fragmentation services for all European countries in the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking support framework.

Space Applications

This investigation demonstrates how crews on future space missions may be able to autonomously perform conjunction analysis, which is the assessment of the risk of collision between a satellite and another orbiting object. The Space Weather section of the portal monitors Sun activities and provides customized alarms when a given parameter is over a defined threshold.

Earth Applications

Results could support improvements in satellite re-entry and fragmentation processes for European countries in the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking framework, reducing the risk to people on Earth from collisions in space.