Satellite Based ADS-B for Safe Spaceport Operations

Abstract

The steadily increasing air traffic in particular on transoceanic routes requires extending controlled airspace to those regions not yet covered by ground based surveillance. An ADS-B system with a strong focus on space-based ADS-B can provide global and continuous air traffic surveillance to enhance the operation of spacecraft and spaceplanes in the NAS and above. Such a system can overcome the prevailing surveillance constraints in non-radar airspace (NRA). Since 2008 the German Aerospace Center (DLR) started to prove that 1090ES ADS-B signals broadcasted by aircraft can be received on board of low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. This was validated in 2013 by world's first in-orbit demonstration of a space based ADS-B system, hosted on the ESA satellite PROBA-V. The results of the mission are discussed and summarized. They have an influence on the performance requirements for Sat based ADS-B to allow minimized separation in NRA together with an impact on prevailing processes and flight safety standards. The services can be integrated in the Air Traffic Management (ATM) information exchange concept of the System Wide Information System (SWIM). Using a SWIM based service, spacecraft and spaceplanes can be integrated safely in the NAS and in the worldwide system. Also applications for spacecraft tracking close to low earth orbits (LEO) during launch and reentry operation will be possible.