As low Earth orbit becomes increasingly congested and the strategic value of GEO-based assets increases, space situational awareness becomes increasingly important. Two main aspects of situational awareness are self-awareness and long-range surveillance of other space resident objects (RSOs).
Self-awareness improves the understanding of the host spacecraft and immediate surroundings, while long-range space surveillance improves the understanding of RSOs at a longer distance.
Short-Range Situational Awareness (Self Awareness)
Monitoring spacecraft deployments, structural inspection of host platforms, verifying solar panel or antenna deployment, and tracking nearby assets during formation flying. Wide field-of-view cameras with LED illumination are ideal for close-proximity observation across the challenging lighting conditions found in orbit.
Image Credits: Satoro, Exotrail, DSTG Australia, and UNSW Canberra Sapce
Solar Panel Monitoring with SelfieCam
Antenna/ Boom Arm Monitoring with SelfieCam
Thruster Monitoring
Spacecraft Deployment Monitoring
Recommended Products for Short-Range Situational Awareness
| Product | Specification | Use Cases |
| Aquila | - FHD / HD 30FPS capture and save. - Video streaming for real-time situational awareness and improved autonomy. - Multiple lens options to support different FoVs - JPEG or RGB565 encoding | - Deployable structure monitoring - Solar panel monitoring - Thruster monitoring - Immediate vicinity monitoring for threat detection - Launch vehicle monitoring - Rover navigation and situational awareness - Autonomy |
| Lynx4MP-10 | -10mm focal length · 58° FOV - Up to 13 FPS burst image capture - 5.5um large pixels | - Experiment monitoring - Deployable structure monitoring |
| Selfie Cam Video | - Multiple resolution modes starting from VGA - 110-degree FoV - Easy integration - JPEG compressed images - On-board storage | - Deployable structure monitoring - Solar panel monitoring - Thruster monitoring |
| Leo2MP | - Multiple resolution modes up to 2MP - 110-degree FoV - LED illumination | - Deployable structure monitoring - Solar panel monitoring - Thruster monitoring - Autonomy |
| Draco | - Neuromorphic sensing - Multiple lens options - High dynamic range | - Continuous area monitoring |
| BRAIN Edge Processor | - 100 TOPS processing power - NVIDIA Jetson eco-system - Available with add-on radiation shields - High-speed interfaces | - Combined with Aquila, Leo2MP, or Draco for real-time sensor data processing - Combine with SelfieCam or Lynx4MP for non-real-time data processing for non-real-time decision making or data processing. - Autonomous systems |
Long-Range Space Surveillance (Space-Based Space Surveillance)
Space-based Space Surveillance using narrow focal-length optics enables detection and tracking of resident space objects, including debris, active satellites, and upper stage rocket bodies at significant range. Long-range SSA capabilities support space traffic management, collision avoidance, and space fence operations.
Continuous Space Monitoring with Draco
Recommended Products for long-Range Situational Awareness
| Product | Specification | Use Cases |
| Orion12MP-550 | - 12 MP resolution - 100 FPS image capture and storage capability - On-board storage - Multiple interface options - Precision image capture timing | - Long-range on-demand space-based space surveillance |
| Draco | - VGA resolution - 9um pixels - High dynamic range - Low data volume - 0.6 degree FoV | - Long-range continuous space-based space surveillance - Long-range on-demand space-based space surveillance |
| BRAIN Edge Processor | - 100 TOPS processing power - NVIDIA Jetson eco-system - Available with add-on radiation shields - High-speed interfaces | - Combine with Orion12MP for data processing, non-real-time object detection, data filtering, and decision making. - Combine with Draco-550 for real-time continuous/ on-demand space surveillance. - Autonomous systems |
KEY CAPABILITIES
- Space Domain Awareness (SDA)
- Resident Space Object (RSO) detection and tracking
- Deployment and structural monitoring
- Formation flying and inspection
- Collision avoidance support
- Space traffic management
BRAIN
Edge Processor
Pair SSA cameras with BRAIN to perform on-orbit object detection and track initiation autonomously, reducing ground station bandwidth requirements and enabling real-time space traffic management without a ground round-trip.