Will space situational awareness continue to evolve in light of an increasingly congested cis-lunar space environment over the next several years? As the domain becomes more crowded, what are the impacts of the increased use of nanosatellites and microsatellites on space situational awareness and collision avoidance?
In navigating this congested environment, how should the United States and other nations track space debris and avoid collisions with it? Addressing this challenge requires determining which technologies being designed to reduce or remove space debris should be used, as well as establishing who—whether nations or private entities—can or should legally remove it from orbit. Finally, can a monetary incentive solution that forces satellite owners to put more thought into overall utility, lifespan, and disposal effectively mitigate space junk?
- Beard, Maj. John E., "New Space Race: Governing Commercial Power in an Overburdened LEO," ACSC GRISSOM 2026
- Addressed by Beard's examination of the mounting tracking and collision avoidance challenges in space. He highlights that the rapid expansion of commercial and foreign satellites has severely strained existing tracking systems, making custody of on-orbit objects increasingly difficult and complicating Space Domain Awareness (SDA). To navigate this congested environment, Beard argues that the Department of Defense must designate the U.S. Space Force as the centralized lead authority for on-orbit coordination and traffic management, resolving the current division of responsibilities across fragmented civilian and military agencies. This unified command would empower the Space Force to conduct real-time risk assessments, direct mandatory collision avoidance maneuvers, and enforce operational compliance standards across both government and commercial operators. Furthermore, migrating core SDA assets to MEO, GEO, and HEO will provide strategic, resilient observation capabilities free from LEO's physical and electronic congestion.
- Beauchamp, Maj. Torry S., "Cleaning up Space: Reducing Orbital Debris to Reduce Risk and Make Space Operations Safer," AFGC thesis, 2025, 36 pgs.
- Tracking: Beauchamp asserts that tracking must be improved by upgrading the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). This includes replacing the outdated SPADOC software with the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS), utilizing the new Space Fence radar, and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and commercial satellite sensors.
- Technologies: He concludes that physical sweepers and space tugs are currently too expensive to be feasible. Instead, nations should use ground- and space-based lasers. These lasers can cost-effectively remove small debris (1-10cm) or perform "just-in-time collision avoidance" (JCA) by nudging large debris out of the way right before a potential collision.
- Who should remove it: He recommends creating a Global Space Organization that includes commercial industry stakeholders to mandate international rules. He suggests that all nations contribute to a joint fund for debris removal, or that each nation be held strictly responsible for removing the debris they generate.
- Brinich, Capt. Benjamin L., "Avoiding Collisions without Impacting Operational Security: A Study of United States Space Force Traffic Management," GCPME thesis, 2022, 39 pgs.
- Ibsen, Genna M., "Jettisoned Junk: The Unseen U.S. Security Risk Developing in Space," AFGC thesis, 2024, 42 pgs.
- Kennedy, Neil A., "Space Debris, Orbital Land Mines: A Risk Assessment of US Space Systems," AF Global College thesis, 2024, 59 pgs.
- Purgason, Jean A., "Space Junk and the US Military: A Policy Analysis on Physical Technology Options for Mitigating Orbital Debris," SAASS thesis, 2020, 68 pgs.
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- Beauchamp, Maj. Torry S., "Cleaning up Space: Reducing Orbital Debris to Reduce Risk and Make Space Operations Safer," AFGC thesis, 2025, 36 pgs.
- Beauchamp notes that the shift toward smaller satellite constellations (like CubeSats) means far more payloads are released with each launch, exponentially increasing orbital congestion. This congestion severely impacts collision avoidance by increasing the sheer volume of objects that must be monitored. To evolve Space Situational Awareness (SSA) to handle this, he argues the military must fully embrace AI. Integrating AI into space surveillance will speed up data processing for collision avoidance, automate tracking tasks, and allow for the predictive analysis of irregular satellite behaviors to provide early warnings of potential threats.
- Pambianchi, Major Johan and Major Jason Holt, "Advancing America's Space Characterization Ecosystem: An Organizational, Technological and Data-Driven Approach to Addressing Tomorrow's Space Conflicts," ACSC Paper, 2021, 118 pgs. PRIZE: Spaatz