BAE系统公司开发自主跨星座卫星ISR能力

近年来，低地球轨道卫星星座的扩散大大推动了在轨ISR能力的扩展。

作者：安德鲁·萨勒诺-加思韦特

BAE系统公司的FAST Labs研发组织已获得美国国防高级研究计划局（DARPA）的7万美元合同，用于监督自主卫星目标托管计划。DARPA正在启动一个新项目，即DARPA监督计划，旨在开发一个能够监督不同星座的大量资产的自治系统。传统的空间情报、监视和侦察（ISR）收集方法往往各自为政，需要大量人力，并且缺乏快速适应新兴空间技术的敏捷性。

近年来，低地球轨道卫星星座的扩散大大推动了在轨ISR能力的扩展。DARPA的新监督计划旨在使用BAE开发的自主系统对多个卫星星座的单个站点进行观测。

该项目将是DARPA，美国太空部队和太空发展局之间的合作，以增强美国太空系统的战术意义，开发将在战术边缘卫星和地面站中实施的技术。

根据BAE系统公司FAST实验室小型卫星主任John Grimes博士的说法，近对等对手能力的迅速发展正在推动以更快的速度和更大的范围进行更大的远程跟踪的需求。“为了满足这一要求，我们的团队包括自主性、空间处理、ISR 系统、战术边缘软件开发、系统集成和架构以及任务重点方面的技术专长。”

BAE Systems to develop autonomous cross-constellation satellite ISR

In recent years the expansion of on-orbit ISR capabilities is being significantly boosted by the proliferation of low earth orbit satellite constellations.

By Andrew Salerno-Garthwaite

Artist’s impression of a GPS Block IIIA satellite in orbit. Credit: USAF.

BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organisation has been awarded a $7m contract by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Oversight autonomous satellite target custody programme.

DARPA has is beginning a new project, the DARPA Oversight programme, which aims to develop an autonomous system capable of overseeing a vast number of assets across diverse constellations. Conventional space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) collection methods are often compartmentalised, require significant manpower, and lack the agility to rapidly adapt to emerging space technologies.

In recent years the expansion of on-orbit ISR capabilities is being significantly boosted by the proliferation of low earth orbit satellite constellations. DARPA’s new Oversight programme seeks to maintain observation of a individual sites across multiple satellite constellations using an autonomous system to be developed by BAE.

The project will be a collaboration between DARPA, the US Space Force, and the Space Development Agency to enhance the tactical significance of US space systems, developing technology to be implemented in both tactical-edge satellites and ground stations.

According to Dr. John Grimes, who serves as the director of Small Satellites at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs, the need for greater long-range tracking at a faster pace and larger scope is being propelled by the swift progress of near-peer adversary capabilities. “To meet this requirement, our team includes technical expertise in autonomy, space processing, ISR systems, tactical-edge software development, system integration and architectures, and mission focus.”