Stargaze: SpaceX's Space Situational Awareness System
7 days ago
- #SpaceX
- #Satellite Operations
- #Space Safety
- SpaceX developed Stargaze, a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system, to enhance satellite safety in low Earth orbit (LEO).
- Stargaze uses data from nearly 30,000 star trackers, detecting ~30 million transits daily, vastly improving detection capability.
- The system autonomously generates accurate orbit estimates and near real-time predictions, integrating into a space-traffic management platform.
- Stargaze provides conjunction screening results within minutes, compared to the industry standard of several hours.
- SpaceX will offer Stargaze conjunction data free of charge to all operators via its space-traffic management platform.
- A 'closed beta' with over a dozen operators has enabled low-latency ephemeris sharing and conjunction screening.
- Stargaze successfully mitigated a near-collision in 2025 by quickly detecting a third-party satellite's maneuver and updating trajectory predictions.
- Operators are urged to frequently share ephemeris, especially for maneuvering vehicles, to enhance safety and minimize collision risks.
- Starlink updates and shares its ephemeris publicly every hour, setting a standard for other operators to follow.
- SpaceX aims to motivate operators to adopt ephemeris sharing and safe flight practices by offering free conjunction screening.