The US space force wants to be able to identify and track mysterious objects in orbit. Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), charged with the training and development of U.S. Space Force personnel, recently published a document titled Space Doctrine Publication 3-100.

Space Awareness’ which explains what Space Awareness (SDA) is. and how to install and maintain it. In short, SDA refers to the ability to identify, understand, track, and maintain control of all the various objects in orbit around the Earth.

The bulk of the document describes the need to maintain a safe environment by tracking and tracking objects such as pieces of space debris, an ever-increasing number of commercial satellites, spacecraft operated by adversaries, and “hazards posed by the space environment and natural debris.” ”

However, the document notes that safe operation in space also requires “the ability to rapidly identify and respond to threats and hazards, including objects that exhibit anomalous observable parameters and life patterns and cannot be attributed to any owner or point of origin.” . So what kind of objects might these be?

These are mostly facilities initiated by other states. “The security of space operations requires that the United States know not only where objects and spacecraft are at any given time, but also how they got there, who owns them, their potential capabilities, and the operator’s intent,” the STARCOM document states.

The publication goes on to describe the many ways to achieve this capability, including the use of radar systems, infrared and optical sensors, radio frequency tracking, orbital space weather stations, and the use of information obtained by the intelligence community.

Yet despite the many ways the U.S. Space Force and other organizations use to track objects in Earth orbit, recent events suggest that some of them may remain unknown.

One example in early 2022 saw a rogue rocket hurtling towards the moon. Although most observers said the rocket was most likely the launch vehicle of China’s Chang’e 5-T1 lunar mission, China denied this claim. Recently, in October 2022, China’s reusable spaceplane also launched unknown payloads into orbit.

Previously, in 2014, space tracking stations together with three Russian satellites observed an unknown object. It was believed to be either an anti-satellite device or a probe spacecraft, but it was ultimately not identified.

In light of these and other events, Space Force is trying to keep a closer eye on what’s happening in orbit. In October 2023, Space Systems Command selected several private companies to help accelerate the development of new space awareness-related technologies, according to SpaceNews.

Earlier this year, United Launch Alliance launched the Space Force’s stealthy Silent Barker spacecraft, designed to act as a “watchdog” for satellites in geosynchronous orbit, a region of space about 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) that allows the spacecraft to remain stationary. fixed points. On earth.

And in 2022, the Pentagon established AARO, the Areawide Anomaly Resolution Office, whose mission is to detect, identify and correlate “anomalous, unidentified space-based” objects as well as airborne or aquatic objects. , appears to travel between these areas. So far, the office has found “no credible evidence” that any of these anomalous objects are of extraterrestrial origin.

But despite the need for greater awareness of what’s in space and who can control it, Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Salzman said in April 2023 that “the space domain’s space exploration capabilities are still lagging behind.”