Videos technical-and-educational

Representative depiction of DMSP breakup event

This animation depicts a notional DMSP breakup event caused by an explosion. The video shows how the resulting debris fragments separate from each other and put other active satellites at risk.

TJS-10 On-Orbit Behavior

This video shows approximately two weeks of the on-orbit behavior of the Chinese satellite TJS-10 in May 2024. TJS-10 was launched to GEO in November 2023, but the official mission has not been disclosed. Since reaching GEO, TJS-10 has been parked in the vicinity of another Chinese satellite, TJS-3, and in the same plane. Initially TJS-10 was east of TJS-3 by 200-400 km. During May TJS-10 maneuvered to the west of TJS-3, where it has remained, approximately 100 km away. This behavior is very similar to the early operations of TJS-3 with the TJS-3 apogee kick motor (AKM), during the five months of on-orbit testing that followed its launch. Both TJS-3 and TJS-10 are reported to have some sort of communications mission. It was clear from the original TJS-3 on-orbit testing that the AKM was involved. This recent relationship with TJS-10 and TJS-3 implies that TJS-10 may be performing a similar checkout. Note that in the case of TJS-3, the AKM was always to the east of TJS-3. In this recent example, we see TJS-10 operate both east and west of TJS-3.

Large constellation applications through 2034

This animation depicts the 191,000 large constellation spacecraft applied for by the global space community through 2034. This information is mostly based upon FCC and ITU filings; in a few cases, media reports were incorporated as well. Historically, the percentage of applied-for spacecraft that become realized on-orbit is somewhere between 15 to 25%. In the large constellation domain, that number is currently at 10%. Even if only on tenth of these 191,000 applied-for spacecraft are realized, this represents a tripling of our current active spacecraft population. Such an increase will require substantial improvements to our legacy SSA and STC approaches, astrodynamics algorithms, data fusion, and collaboration between spacecraft operators, government and commercial SSA and STC tools and service providers, and regulators.

X-37B in HEO

This video shows a notional trajectory of the X-37B in a highly elliptical orbit (HEO). In this orbit, the lowest point is down near its typical operating range but the furthest point could be out tens of thousands of km, resulting in an orbit that might take 12 hours to go around once.

X-37B in LEO

This video depicts the X-37B in a low Earth orbit (LEO) typical of its first six missions. The vehicle travels hundreds of km above the Earth, completing one orbit in approximately 90 minutes.

Evolution in rate of LEO close approaches with major fragmentation events, 1968 to present (viewed slightly from lefthand side)

Viewed slightly from the left side, this topology shows the rate of close encounters to within one kilometer, for publicly cataloged traceable objects, that a new space object would experience if it were inserted into the existing space population at the specified circular orbit altitude and inclination.

Evolution in rate of LEO close approaches with major fragmentation events, 1968 to present (viewed slightly from righthand side)

Viewed slightly from the right side, this topology shows the rate of close encounters to within one kilometer, for publicly cataloged traceable objects, that a new space object would experience if it were inserted into the existing space population at the specified circular orbit altitude and inclination.

Evolution of space population from the earliest days in space to present

This video shows an animation of how the space population has evolved from the beginning of the space era to present. Initially, due to the sparsity of objects in space, we depict the evolution up to 2005 showing the discrete tracked objects and their count overtime. Then, beginning in 2005, we transition to a spatial density depiction, showing via a color scale how many objects occupy a given 100 by 100 by 100 kilometer voxel in space. From 2005 onward, we also show fragmentation events that have occurred over time, accompanied by a plot of how many space objects exist as a function of time.

LEO space population as a function of object size, 47s long.

This video provides a comparison of what is currently being publicly tracked, versus what we believe exists in space as a function of object size. There are many hundreds of thousands of objects in space today that are large enough to be mission-terminating in the event of a collision, but which we cannot track today.

Representation of possible large constellations to be in orbit by 2029

"This animation is based upon FCC and ITU filings for large constellations. The timeline of deployment for each constellation is an estimate based upon application schedule requirements.

Depiction of how encounter rates and collision risk varies as a function of accuracy of the underlying SSA data.

This video depicts how encounter rates and collision risk varies as a function of accuracy of the underlying SSA data.

SDA GEO participating spacecraft as of 2021

Interviews with SDA Executive Directors regarding the importance of space traffic coordination

Debris spread resulting from a hypothetical GEO collision.

This simulation video shows how debris quickly spreads around the GEO belt as the result of a GEO collision. Both discrete debris fragments and the cloud of potential fragment occupation are shown.

Relative motion of GEO debris with respect to GEO active spacecraft

This video shows how GEO debris moves with respect to GEO active spacecraft, which is primarily in the north/south direction (cross-plane).

Hypersonic transport screening in an LCOLA tool

This video depicts hypersonic transport screening in an LCOLA tool

Laser Clearing House (LCH) modeling

COMSPOC simulation of Chinese ASAT engagement of Fengyun spacecraft, including discrete fragment breakup and post-fragmentation debris cloud evolution.

This video depicts COMSPOC's simulation of Chinese ASAT engagement of Fengyun spacecraft, including discrete fragment breakup and post-fragmentation debris cloud evolution.

COMSPOC simulation of Mission Shakti ASAT engagement, discrete fragment breakup, and post-fragmentation debris cloud evolution.

This video depicts COMSPOC's simulations of Mission Shakti ASAT engagement, discrete fragment breakup, and post-fragmentation debris cloud evolution.

COMSPOC simulation of Mission Shakti ASAT engagement post-fragmentation debris cloud evolution.

This video depicts COMSPOC's simulations of Mission Shakti ASAT engagement post-fragmentation debris cloud evolution.

Russian ASAT representative fragmentation and spatial density depictions using COMSPOC ASAT breakup modeling tools

Spatial density increase following Russian ASAT test.

This spatial density depiction shows via a color scale how many objects occupy a given 100 by 100 by 100 kilometer voxel in space as a result of the Russian ASAT test (before and after), leading to space traffic congestion.

Breakup fragmentation cloud evolution stemming from the Iridium/Cosmos collision

Comparison of Radar and Optical sensor coverage and resulting object size tracked as a function of viewing geometry, illumination, and orbit regime.

This video provides a comparison of Radar and Optical sensor coverage and resulting object size tracked as a function of viewing geometry, illumination, and orbit regime.

Depiction of how optical covarage of LEO objects varies as a function of lighting and location in January.

Depiction of how optical covarage of LEO objects varies as a function of lighting and location in July.

Median global cloud cover animation

This video shows a depiction of how median cloud cover changes throughout the year, viewed from a number of perspectives.

Median global rainfall animation

This video shows a depiction of how median rainfall changes throughout the year, viewed from a number of perspectives.

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