Commercial and Foreign Entities (CFE) Pilot Program Status Update and Way Ahead

摘要

The President of the United States has designated Commander of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) as the Department of Defense (DoD) lead for execution and administration of Commercial and Foreign Entities (CFE) activities. Commander, USSTRATCOM has delegated the task of designing the CFE program, whose ultimate goal is to ensure safe flight of on-orbit objects, to the Commander of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), in conjunction with USSTRATCOM, is in the final phase of the CFE Pilot Program, an effort which aims both to define United States (U.S.) support to CFE and to transfer daily management of CFE activities from AFSPC to USSTRATCOM on or about 1 October 2009. The overarching goal of the CFE effort is to engage the U.S. on the world stage to encourage international cooperation and transparency with foreign nations and/or consortia on space activities that are of mutual benefit. In other words, the U.S. will provide space situational awareness (SSA) information to CFE mission partners in order to protect manned spaceflight, prevent on orbit collisions, and minimize the debris field surrounding the Earth. It is in the best interests of all space-faring nations and consortia to protect the assets they have on orbit; the CFE program is designed to provide U.S.-generated data to help accomplish that goal. The U.S. routinely tracks and catalogs on orbit objects in order to ensure safe operations of manned spaceflight and daily satellite activities. Awareness of where on orbit objects are in relation to each other is information vital to that end. Correspondingly, sharing U.S. information with CFE mission partners is vital to that same end. The U.S. wants to establish and grow a cooperative relationship with CFE partners to keep the space environment safe and as free of debris as possible.