Starling 1.5 – Space Traffic Coordination Amongst Autonomously Maneuvering Spacecraft

Starling 1.5 is a space traffic coordination mission extension to NASA’s successful Starling swarm technology demonstration. NASA partnered with SpaceX to field and demonstrate a space traffic coordination system that allows different satellite owner/operators to rapidly screen trajectories and either claim or refuse maneuver responsibility for mitigating conjunctions, or close approaches, all without human operators in the loop. Starlink satellites routinely perform autonomous risk mitigation maneuvers (RMMs) to reduce the probability of collision (Pc) for conjunctions with active satellites and other orbital objects such as debris. The NASA Starling primary mission included an autonomous maneuvering capability, which raised the question about how to ensure that autonomously maneuvering spacecraft from different owner/operators could coordinate and not maneuver in a way that increases conjunction risks. This paper describes the space traffic coordination system that allows automated satellite and ground systems to rapidly screen for conjunctions, allow claiming of mitigation responsibility, and screen proposed mitigation trajectories before they are executed. Results from the Starling 1.5 demonstration period are presented, with Starling claiming and executing RMMs to mitigate conjunctions with SpaceX Starlink satellites.