DARPA's Space-WATCH Program
Introduction:
Space-WATCH is a program developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that aims to:
Provide continuous, real-time tracking of all objects in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Promptly notify operators of anomalous events, allowing them to plan and take appropriate action.
Key Features:
Leverages a vast network of low-cost sensors: These sensors are onboard commercial and government satellites in LEO and continuously detect and track nearby objects, identify anomalies or unexpected events/movements, and promptly provide relevant details to ground-based operators.
Employs cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques: These techniques process and validate sensor data, generate a comprehensive situational awareness picture of LEO/pLEO, identify and rapidly assess events, promptly notify operators of critical situations, determine mission types and identify threats, contextualize interactions between objects, and assess collision risks.
Program Structure:
TA1: Wide-area tracking layer with sensors hosted on commercial satellites.
TA2: Real-time automated data fusion capability to process and validate data from TA1.
Working Group: Develops a dynamically priced "data-as-a-service" model to incentivize TA1 performers to sell collected data to the government.
This solicitation focuses on TA2:
Development of applications for data fusion and processing of sensor data from DaaSPO ("data-as-a-service" products) of TA1 performers.
Additional Benefits:
Space-WATCH will facilitate the creation of a "data-as-a-service" model to incentivize non-government sensor data collection.
It will integrate with a dynamic "data-as-a-service" pricing model.
The program utilizes an operator feedback loop for algorithm improvement.
DARPA&CIA