The Space Triad – A Practical Space Operations Framework

Space security, space safety, and space sustainability are often treated as independent domains of the space operations assurance enterprise. There is a tight coupling between these areas that requires a thorough examination of use cases whereby ignoring these entanglements may put one’s space operations at risk. Space safety focuses on short-term collision risk, often to operational satellites, as they attempt to conduct their missions. Many responsible behaviors for space traffic coordination are those needed to reduce tensions related to space security. Further, space sustainability focuses on long-term collision risk to all space objects and means to promote actions that reduce the possibility of deleterious growth of lethal debris. Reducing the growth of debris contributes not only to short-term space safety but, particularly when focusing on stopping deliberately-created debris, is a factor in mitigating the possibility of space conflict. Lastly, space security is a realm that is currently masked with lack of transparency for missions and behaviors of those space systems. More openness and discussions about capabilities that could be interpreted differently depending on the perception of the owner (e.g., the ability to grapple a space object can be seen as both a weapon and an enabler for cleaning up the debris environment) could reduce sparking events for space security. This, in turn, can enhance transparency of space activities that will in turn aid both space safety and space sustainability. Our hypothesis is that if you do not understand and appreciate the different perspectives of space operators you will likely make mistakes or get surprised; neither of those outcomes are good.