Housed within Research, Innovation and Impact, Space4 is a group of researchers with trusted and demonstrated expertise in space surveillance, planetary defense, astrodynamics, machine learning, data science, business, and law. Together, we tackle space challenges that otherwise cannot be solved by any single academic unit or college. We help protect space services and capabilities from space debris and other objects, ensuring the nation’s future access and operations in space.
Discovery & Tracking
Finding newly launched objects and tracking them to determine their orbit and maintaining custody.
Object Identification (Characterization)
Identifying space objects based on their brightness and color characteristics so we can fingerprint them.
Astrodynamics & Machine Learning
- Applying principles of celestial mechanics to determine and predict the orbits of artificial objects from observations.
- Devising new algorithms and processes that leverage observational data to understand the motion of space objects.
Data Visualization & Analytics
Visualizing and analyzing raw and processed sensor data to understand the dynamical behavior of artificial objects in space.
Workforce Development
Building the workforce necessary among the following groups to prepare for the future of space object characterization and traffic management:
- Military and Veterans
- Undergraduate Students
- Graduate Students
- Postdocs