System Autonomy for Space Traffic Management

Abstract

We propose an initial architecture for a Space Traffic Management (STM) system, based on open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and drawing on previous work by NASA to develop an architecture for low-altitude Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM). The authors explore how autonomy could be used to enhance an STM system, and how constraints inherent in STM complicate and challenge certain applications of autonomy. We conceptually explore how autonomy could be used within an STM architecture, with multiple non-authoritative catalogs of resident space objects, and to determine which of two spacecraft moves to prevent an impending conjunction between them. NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) is developing a software research environment for STM, along with a physical laboratory and visualization space. We invite STM stakeholders to collaborate in our infrastructure, to help inform the design of the proposed STM architecture, and to participate in the refinement and validation of its concept of operations using the software research platform,