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

Sep 10, 2026
The U.S. Space Force has chosen a remote location in northern Texas to complete a triad of sites for its next-generation ground-based space awareness network.
Sep 10, 2026
The U.S. Space Force appears ready to launch a new program for GPS ground command-and-control modernization.
Sep 09, 2026
Firefly Aerospace has agreed with Sweden’s SSC Space to launch two Alpha rockets from the Esrange Space Center.
Sep 04, 2026
The U.S. Space Force’s vendor pool for the nascent space-based air moving target indicator (SB-AMTI) program is now up to 12 companies.
Sep 04, 2026
Aviation Week's Graham Warwick offers a scathing assessment of U.S. regulators as a King Air crash earlier this year underscores concerns about GPS.
Sep 03, 2026
The DLR has begun flight trials of its uncrewed high-altitude platform, a demonstrator to validate the air vehicle and sensor technologies for lower stratosphere operations.
Sep 03, 2026
Australian in-space inspection services firm HEO demonstrated its first rendezvous and proximity operations mission to capture images of another object in space.
Sep 02, 2026
FAA expands Starship's operating envelope, approving wider airspace closures and a new Pacific contingency splashdown site.