The University of Texas at Austin has received a $9.3 million seed grant from the Texas Space Commission to establish the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Tools, Applications, and Processing (TAP) Lab, becoming the first academic institution to work directly with the United States Space Force to detect, analyze, and counter space-based threats in near real time. Space Security, Safety, & Sustainability Program Lead Moriba Jah will lead the lab in monitoring and assessing objects in orbit including satellites, debris, and potential adversarial threats. Operating in coordination with a privately run TAP lab in Colorado Springs, the initiative will integrate academic research, industry collaboration, and workforce development to accelerate innovation in space domain awareness and strengthen long-term U.S. space resilience.
At the Strauss Center’s “Operational Assurance for All” 12th Annual Space Traffic Conference, Aarti Holla-Maini, head of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, highlighted growing difficulties in contacting satellite operators to coordinate maneuvers and prevent collisions as orbital traffic increases. The conference was recently highlighted in SpaceNews. Holla-Maini revealed that her office intervened twice in the past year...
Space Security, Safety, & Sustainability Program Lead Moriba Jah was recently interviewed for an article published in NDTV on the growing problem of space debris in the context of the Chinese Shenzhou-20 Incident. On November 25, China’s Shenzhou-20 noticed damage and cracking to the spacecraft’s window due to excess space debris in orbit. “Until countries and companies consider data accuracy...
Non-resident Scholar Diane Howard was invited to participate on a panel for the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ recent event, “Keeping China Grounded: Ensuring Long-Term U.S. Tech Leadership in Low Earth Orbit.” Dr. Howard was featured on a panel discussing technological innovation in space, where she discussed the role of AI in securing space safety and finding manageable windows...