Technical
Conjunction Assessment
The process of evaluating potential close approaches between space objects to determine collision risk and inform avoidance decisions.
Conjunction assessment is a critical space safety process that identifies and evaluates close approaches between space objects, enabling operators to take collision avoidance action when necessary.
Process Steps
- Screening: Identify potential close approaches from catalog data
- Refinement: Improve accuracy with additional observations
- Risk Assessment: Calculate collision probability
- Decision: Determine if avoidance maneuver is needed
- Coordination: Communicate with other operators if applicable
- Execution: Perform maneuver if required
- Verification: Confirm post-maneuver safety
Key Metrics
- Time of Closest Approach (TCA)
- Miss distance
- Collision probability (Pc)
- Mahalanobis distance
Thresholds Typical action thresholds:
- Pc > 10⁻⁴: Maneuver recommended
- Pc > 10⁻³: Maneuver strongly advised
- Miss distance < 1 km (LEO): Close monitoring
Regulatory Requirements Under the EU Space Act, operators must:
- Participate in conjunction data sharing
- Respond to conjunction warnings
- Report avoidance maneuvers
- Maintain maneuver capability