[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 2007, discussions about the need to improve space situational awareness (SSA) abounded among senior leaders in the United States Air Force (USAF), elected officials, corporate executives, and a host of others worldwide who relied on satellite systems. As one expert explained, SSA--"the ability to 'see' and understand what is going on in space"--provided the "foundation stone" for all operations in that domain. It ensured that working satellites did not interfere with one another, that collisions with detectable debris could be avoided, and that reasons--natural, nefarious, or other--for satellite ailments could be accurately diagnosed. (1) From a military perspective, Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), focused first and foremost on SSA, because he needed "to not only catalog but also understand what is up there, to understand when a satellite maneuvers, to understand when something is deployed off a satellite or a bus, and ultimately to be able to determine the capabilities of the satellite and the intent of the operator." (2) Fundamental to meeting demand for improved SSA in 2007 was the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) that had evolved over a half century for detecting, tracking, identifying, and cataloging all man-made objects in outer space.
