Derrick Henry
Orion Space Solutions, an Arcfield subsidiary, has received a contract to provide real-time atmospheric modeling data to the Space Systems Command’s Space Domain Awareness Tools Applications and Processing, or SDA TAP, Lab Accelerator in Colorado.
Orion secured the SSC contract after demonstrating that its Dragster model can advance SDA by mitigating collisions and optimizing communication resources, Arcfield said Tuesday. The nowcasting technology improves the accuracy of orbit determination and orbit propagation of objects detected with optical, radio and radar sensors.
Supporting SDA Advancement
According to Chad Fish, president and general manager of Orion, Dragster “can model atmospheric drag with unrivaled accuracy.” “We are thrilled to receive this award and continue delivering Dragster’s data to the lab in support of SDA advancement,” he stressed.
“Since its inception, the SDA TAP Lab has been successfully bridging technological gaps to accelerate the SDA mission,” Arcfield Chairman and CEO Kevin Kelly added. “We are honored to continue playing a part in its success,” the 2024 Wash100 Award recipient said.
Addressing SDA Challenges
Orion exhibited the Dragster model’s capability while participating in the SDA TAP Lab Cohort 4, in which 20 organizations worked to develop tools for data processing, analysis and visualization. The project is a collaborative tech accelerator that facilitates industry, academia and government efforts to address critical SDA challenges.
