Objects orbiting Earth such as satellites and debris continue to increase in number, making space contested and congested. Preventing collisions is crucial to protecting the safety of space activities and assets.In June 2018, the White House issued Space Policy Directive-3, National Space Traffic Management Policy (SPD‑3), acknowledging that the number of space objects was increasing while the activity and architecture to ensure space safety, including existing traffic management activities, was becoming inadequate.Currently, the Department of Defense (DOD) is providing basic space situational awareness data and potential collision notifications to space operators. SPD‑3 directs the transfer of certain responsibilities for providing data and services from DOD to the Department of Commerce, specifically to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Office of Space Commerce (OSC), which is responsible for the coordination of space-related issues, programs, and initiatives within the Department.Our audit objective was to assess OSC’s progress in providing space situational awareness data and space traffic management services in accordance with SPD-3. We found that (1) OSC is behind schedule in providing basic space situational awareness data and services and (2) a new approach to space traffic management is not yet defined and remains a distant goal.We made five recommendations to help OSC develop a realistic program timeline and meet its SPD-3 responsibilities.
Open Recommendations
Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
1. We recommend that the NOAA Administrator direct the Office of Space Commerce Director to revise the TraCSS program timeline using agile best practices to include realistic dates, capabilities, and actual progress. | |||||
2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
2. We recommend that the NOAA Administrator direct the Office of Space Commerce Director to develop and communicate a plan to ensure stakeholders stay informed of changes to the TraCSS timeline. | |||||
3 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
3. We recommend that the NOAA Administrator direct the Office of Space Commerce Director to modify the TraCSS staffing plan to include roles, responsibilities, and priority for each position and strategies for attrition management. | |||||
4 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
4. We recommend that the NOAA Administrator direct the Office of Space Commerce Director to define and document OSC's approach for STM-related responsibilities in the near and long terms to address current and future operational risks and include items such as guidelines, safety standards, behavioral norms, and conjunction prevention protocols. | |||||
5 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
5. We recommend that the NOAA Administrator direct the Office of Space Commerce Director to develop and regularly update a plan to implement OSC's approach to fulfiling the Department's STM-related responsibilities set in SPD-3. |