Space Data Association Recognized by World Space Risk Forum and Society of Satellite Professionals International
The Space Data Association (SDA), established by commercial satellite operators to improve the safety and efficiency of space operations, has been awarded the “Innovation in Industry Collaboration on the Safe Use of Space” award by the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI). The award, which was presented at SSPI’s annual Stellar Reception on 13th March, will be added to the “Space Risk Management Award” which the SDA received from the World Space Risk Forum 2012 during their recent event in Dubai, UAE; the SDA was honored for its outstanding cooperative efforts to reduce the risk of satellite operations.
The SDA’s Space Data Center (SDC) provides full conjunction assessment (CA) capability and is developing data-sharing in support of radio frequency interference (RFI) mitigation. The SDC provides CA processing for more than 65% of all operational satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). SDA took the opportunity of the Satellite 2012 show to host its first SDA User Group meeting on the 12th March in Washington, DC. The all-day event incorporated discussions on improving industry best practices for CA and RFI mitigation, system demonstrations, as well as discussions with 3rd part data providers, prospective members and other industry bodies.
SDA Chairman Stewart Sanders says, “We formed the SDA because we saw a need for improvements in the integrity of satellite operations in order to ensure the preservation of the physical environment we all operate in, as well as to reduce the effect of service-affecting RF interference. We are delighted to be recognized by our peers for the significant progress we have made in both of these areas and we hope this industry endorsement will serve as a further signal of the value of our continued efforts.”
The SDA plans additional features for the Space Data Center and is pursuing data-sharing agreements to improve the scope and quality of data available to its membership.
About SDA
The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment and the RF spectrum. It maintains the Space Data Center, a database of high-accuracy orbital information, which is operated by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) of Exton, PA. Established in the Isle of Man, its executive members are Eutelsat, Inmarsat, Intelsat and SES. The SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Membership information can be found at http://www.space-data.org.
