Space Situational Awareness (SSA)

Numerica provides high-quality observational data, data products, and state-of-the-art software solutions that inform operator action to protect military and commercial space assets orbiting the Earth.

ACCESS DATA PORTAL REQUEST AN ACCOUNT

What We Offer

The critical SSA mission involves the detection, tracking, identification, and characterization of all near Earth-orbiting objects, and the prediction of events, threats and activities in space.

To help address these needs, Numerica has combined advanced algorithms, high-performance software, and a newly designed and deployed global telescope network to demonstrate a responsive deep-space tracking system. In addition, our advanced astrodynamics algorithms and modular software solutions can be integrated into existing systems to improve the security of our commercial and government interests in space.

Our Expertise

Innovation for the most challenging environments

Unique Capabilities

Non-Traditional Data Collection and Exploitation
Image Processing and Dim Target Detection
Covariance and Uncertainty Realism
Real-Time Tracking and Data Fusion
Optimization-Based Sensor Tasking and Scheduling
Orbit and Uncertainty Propagation
Initial Orbit Determination
Conjunction Assessment and Probability of Collision
Anomaly and Maneuver Detection
Sensor Calibration and Bias Mitigation

Applications

Space Surveillance Tracking
Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2)
Spacecraft Collision Avoidance
Catalog Maintenance
Maneuver Processing
Uncorrelated Track (UCT) Resolution
Breakup Processing
Automated Indications and Warning

Our Solutions

Numerica Telescope Network

Numerica has combined advanced algorithms, high-performance software, and a newly-designed and deployed global telescope network to demonstrate a responsive commercial deep-space tracking system.

MFAST (Multiple Frame Assignment Space Tracker)

Numerica’s MFAST software provides a real-time multi-sensor tracking solution for space surveillance supporting UCT resolution, breakup and closely-spaced-object processing, and catalog maintenance.

SSA Services

Custom services leveraging unique mathematical, engineering, and computer science expertise to solve the most challenging problems in Space Situational Awareness.

Numerica Telescope Network

Numerica has combined advanced algorithms, high-performance software, and a newly-designed and deployed global telescope network to demonstrate a responsive commercial deep-space tracking system.

Global coverage of GEO, HEO, and MEO with persistent nightly coverage of GEO.
Externally validated, best-of-breed UCT processing.
Operationally-viable data and information products, including sub-arcsecond observations.

ACCESS DATA PORTAL

REQUEST AN ACCOUNT

VIEW OPTIONS AND PRICING

MFAST (Multiple Frame Assignment Space Tracker)

Numerica’s MFAST software provides a real-time multi-sensor tracking solution for space surveillance supporting UCT resolution, breakup and closely-spaced-object processing, and catalog maintenance.

Tracks objects in all regimes of space (e.g., LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO) using radar, ground-based optical, and space-based optical sensors.
Hardened on a wide range of real-world and simulated datasets, and externally validated for both UCT and breakup processing.
Uses Numerica’s special optimization-based formulation of the data association problem that is well-suited for large-scale tracking problems and problems containing high levels of association ambiguity.
High-performance customized astrodynamics and multi-hypothesis algorithms provide scalability and highly-accurate, real-time orbits.
Advanced physics-based complexity reduction methods allow MFAST to be run on most platform and hardware setups, including laptops.
Runs natively on Windows, Linux, and MacOS, and is easily integrated into other projects by virtue of its C-level interface.

Want to learn more about Numerica’s MFAST? Contact us.

SSA Services

Custom services leveraging unique mathematical, engineering, and computer science expertise to solve the most challenging problems in Space Situational Awareness.

Have a challenging SSA problem? Contact us and let us find the solution that meets your needs.

Papers

Read some of our peer-reviewed papers to see why we’re regarded as thought leaders in Space Situational Awareness.

Expand/Collapse SSA papers

J. Aristoff, A. Ferris, A. Larson, A. Hariri, N. Singh, J. Horwood, J. Shaddix, K. Wilson, T. Lyons, and N. Dhingra, “Non-traditional data collection and exploitation for improved GEO SSA via a global network of heterogeneous sensors,” in Proceedings of the 2018 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, Wailea, HI, September 2018.

A.B. Poore, J. M. Aristoff, and J. T. Horwood, “Covariance and uncertainty realism in space surveillance and tracking.” Astrodynamics Innovation Committee. Tech. Rep. AD1020892, 2016.

J. T. Horwood, N. Singh, J. M. Aristoff, and A. Bhopale, “KRATOS: Kollision Risk Assessment Tool in Orbital Element Spaces.” Proceedings of the 2016 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, Wailea, HI, September 2016.

N. Singh, J. T. Horwood, J. M. Aristoff, and J. Murray-Krezan, “Athena: a data-driven anomaly detection and space object classification tool for SSA,” in Proceedings of the 26th AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Napa, CA, February 2016

J. M. Aristoff, D. J. C. Beach, P. A. Ferris, J. T. Horwood, A. D. Mont, N. Singh, and A. B. Poore, “Multiple Frame Assignment Space Tracker (MFAST): results on UCT processing,” in Proceedings of the 2015 AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Vail, CO, August 2015

J. M. Aristoff, J. T. Horwood, and A. B. Poore, “Implicit Runge-Kutta-based methods for fast, precise, and scalable uncertainty propagation,” Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, Vol. 122, pp. 169-182, 2015

J. T. Horwood and A. B. Poore, “Gauss von Mises distribution for improved uncertainty realism in space situational awareness,” SIAM Journal of Uncertainty Quantification, Vol. 2, pp. 276-304, 2014

J. M. Aristoff, J. T. Horwood, N. Singh, and A. B. Poore, “Nonlinear uncertainty propagation in orbital elements and transformation to Cartesian space without loss of realism,” in Proceedings of the 2014 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, San Diego, CA, August 2014

J. T. Horwood, J. M. Aristoff, N. Singh, A. B. Poore, and M. D. Hejduk, “Beyond covariance realism: a new metric for uncertainty realism,” in Proceedings of the SPIE, Signal and Data Processing of Small Targets, Vol. 9092, Baltimore, MD, May 2014

J. T. Horwood, J. M. Aristoff, N. Singh, and A. B. Poore, “A comparative study of new non-linear uncertainty propagation methods for space surveillance,” in Proceedings of the SPIE, Signal and Data Processing of Small Targets, Vol. 9092, Baltimore, MD, May 2014

J. M. Aristoff, J. T. Horwood, and A. B. Poore, “Orbit and uncertainty propagation: a comparison of Gauss-Legendre-, Dormand-Prince-, and Chebyshev-Picard-based approaches,” Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, Vol. 117, pp. 13-28, 2013

N. Singh, J. T. Horwood, and A. B. Poore, “Space object maneuver detection via a joint optimal control and multiple hypothesis tracking approach,” in Proceedings of the 22nd AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Charleston, SC, January 2012

J. T. Horwood, N. D. Aragon, and A. B. Poore, “Gaussian sum filters for space surveillance: theory and simulations,” Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 34, pp. 1839-1851, 2011

Patents

Our growing list of patents demonstrates our contribution to the state of the art in SSA.

Expand/Collapse SSA patents

J. T. Horwood, “Method and system for predicting a location of an object in a multi-dimensional space.” U.S. Patent Publication Number US8938413 B2, Issued on 20 January 2015.

J. T. Horwood, “Methods and systems for updating a predicted location of an object in a multidimensional space.” U.S. Patent Publication Number US8909589 B2, Issued on 9 December 2014.

J. T. Horwood, “Method and system for determining a track of an object through a multi-dimensional space.” U.S. Patent Publication Number US8909586 B2, Issued on 9 December 2014.

J. M. Aristoff, “Method and system for propagating the state of an object and its uncertainty.” U.S. Patent Publication Number US20140074766 A1, Issued on 13 March 2014.

What They’re Saying

“I consider Numerica a model organization in our sector of the defense space industry. Their corporate commitment to both technical excellence and doing things right continues to show in the way that they are able consistently to attract and keep top talent in the field. The same commitment has always been evident in every working-level interaction that I have had with them. Their ability to identify, critique, develop and apply advanced algorithms for space situational awareness is something that I rely on for our R&D enterprise.”

Paul W. Schumacher, Jr., Ph.D.Technical Lead, High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute for Space Situational Awareness (HSAI-SSA) | Air Force Research Laboratory/RDSM (Space Surveillance Systems Branch)