AI company Slingshot Aerospace wins contract to coordinate space traffic

Artificial intelligence and aerospace technology company Slingshot Aerospace has secured a significant government contract to develop a crucial component of the United States’ new space safety coordination system.

Key contract details: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce has awarded Slingshot Aerospace a $13.3 million contract to build the TraCSS user interface.

• The contract includes a 12-month initial development period worth $5.3 million, with four additional option years
• Slingshot will leverage its existing space traffic coordination software, Slingshot Beacon, to develop the TraCSS Presentation Layer
• The project will be supported by partners COMSPOC and T and T Consulting Services

Project significance: The TraCSS platform represents a critical step in managing the increasingly crowded orbital environment and ensuring space safety.

• The system will serve as the primary interface for coordinating space traffic and issuing collision warnings for over 10,000 active satellites currently in orbit
• Satellite operators have experienced a 17% year-over-year increase in potential collision scenarios
• Projections indicate up to 100,000 active satellites could be in orbit by 2030, highlighting the urgent need for advanced traffic coordination

Implementation timeline: The TraCSS.gov platform is being developed as part of a broader transition of space traffic management responsibilities.

• The system is expected to go online in late 2025
• It will replace space-track.org as the primary platform for commercial users
• The transition follows Space Policy Directive 3 (2018), which shifted traffic coordination duties from the Department of Defense to the Office of Space Commerce

Technical capabilities: The TraCSS system represents a modern approach to space traffic management and safety.

• The platform will operate as a cloud-based IT system providing essential space situational awareness
• It will deliver conjunction data messages to alert operators about potential satellite collisions
• The system will serve civil, commercial, academic, and national security satellite operators worldwide

Looking ahead: While the development of TraCSS marks a significant advancement in space traffic management, its success will ultimately depend on global adoption and the ability to scale with the rapidly growing satellite population. The platform’s implementation comes at a crucial time as the space industry faces unprecedented growth in satellite deployments and increasing risks of orbital collisions.