Operations & Safety

Space operations have accelerated to unprecedented levels as commercial service providers ramp up their business plans. Ensuring space operations safety is paramount for the long-term viability and sustainability of space activities. Space situational awareness plays a critical role in maintaining physical safety by tracking and avoiding potential collisions between spacecraft, orbital debris, and other objects in Earth's orbit. Effective space traffic management systems are essential for collision avoidance during launch and on-orbit operations. Space weather monitoring is another crucial aspect of space safety, as solar flares and geomagnetic storms can disrupt communications and pose risks to both spacecraft and astronauts. Implementing robust space debris mitigation strategies, such as deorbiting defunct satellites and rocket bodies, helps preserve the space environment for future generations. Ultimately, adhering to space safety standards and space sustainability practices is vital for ensuring the responsible and long-term utilization of the space domain.

News & Analysis

Dec 23, 2024
In 2024, the effort oversaw the launch and execution of 110 science and technology projects across seven crew, resupply and private astronaut missions.
Dec 20, 2024
Poland is buying four microsatellites as it looks to build out its space-based reconnaissance capabilities, with the constellation set to be deployed in 2027.
Dec 19, 2024
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed €350 million ($363 million) in contracts with Avio to further evolve the Vega launcher family.
Dec 18, 2024
Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong have completed extensive extravehicular activities on the Tiangong space station lasting 9 hr. 6 min.
Dec 18, 2024
Ispace says it is targeting another attempt to touch down a lunar lander on the Moon’s surface around four to five months after launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
Dec 18, 2024
"When you’re using taxpayer direct dollars to fund something, you don't want to fail," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says. "I think that's a huge mistake."
Dec 18, 2024
The FAA cleared SpaceX to conduct a series of Starship-Super Heavy flight tests from Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
Dec 17, 2024
NASA has outlined objectives in its "Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy," committing to keeping LEO as habitable as ever to advance research and tech development.