Space Data Center Completes Readiness Review of Full Operational Capability The Space Data Association (SDA), established by commercial satellite operators to improve the safety and efficiency of space operations, today announced that its Space Data Center has completed its Full Operational Capability (FOC) readiness review. With this milestone, the SDA has determined that the system is ready to be employed and maintained, and FOC operations can begin. The SDA’s main technical adviser and systems developer, Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), completed work on the data center less than a year after winning the contract. The Space Data Center is an automated space situational awareness system through which satellite operators share operator-owned orbital data. It provides full Conjunction Assessment (CA) capability (assessing the physical proximity of objects in space) and data sharing in support of radio frequency interference (RFI) mitigation. Because participating satellite operators provide the data, it is the most up-to-date information available. The system also converts disparate data to a common format and performs integrity checks on contributed ephemerides, making the information more reliable. The SDC began initial operations in July 2010 for SDA founding members Inmarsat, Intelsat and SES and, with the transfer of AGI’s prototype SOCRATES geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) conjunction assessment programs to the SDC in December 2010, the SDC now provides CA processing for more than 60% of all operational satellites in GEO. SDA Chairman Stewart Sanders says, "Completion of the readiness review and start of operations is a major milestone for the SDA and is directly due to the hard work of AGI and of the technical support from the SDA’s satellite operator members. With this achievement, we will seek to continue growing our membership.” The SDA is also pursuing data-sharing agreements to improve the scope and quality of data available for these critical operations. About SDA The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment and the RF spectrum. It maintains the Space Data Center, a database of high-accuracy orbital information, which is operated by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) of Exton, PA. Established in the Isle of Man by Inmarsat, Intelsat and SES, the SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Membership information can be found at www.space-data.org. - Ends -