As we bid farewell to 2023 and look ahead to 2024, Slingshot Aerospace is entering a new era. This year included many accolades, from Business Insider’s Startups To Bet Your Career On and Via Satellite’s 10 Hottest Companies in Satellite to NVCA’s Startup Innovator Award, NatSec100, and Forbes’ AI 50, to name a few. While it is an honor to be recognized for our success, it's the ability of our team to continue innovating and expanding on our capabilities, all while delivering for customers in the United States and around the world, that exemplifies our continued growth as an organization ..read more

Slingshot Aerospace ML Algorithms Detect Maneuvers by Russian Spacecraft Luch (Olymp) 2 A Brief History When Luch (Olymp) 2 [Norad ID 55841] launched in March 2023, it was unclear how closely its behavior would mirror its predecessor, Luch (Olymp) [Norad ID 40258], a well-known interloper among geosynchronous satellites. Since Luch (Olymp)'s launch in September 2014, it has approached and loitered near other satellites in geosynchronous orbit, sparking international concern.  In recent days, Slingshot’s machine learning-based object profiling engine has identified multiple maneuvers by ..read more

Table of Contents Current State of Space Domain Awareness Understanding Optical Sensor Systems Tasking Collection Processing Exploitation Dissemination Overcoming Traditional Optical Tracking Challenges LEO Tracking at Scale Daytime Observation Weather-Related Outages Advantages of Slingshot’s Global Sensor Network Improved Custody Through High Revisit Rates Superior State Estimate Accuracy Through ‘Dirt-to-Dirt’ Tracking Multi-Regime Tracking Ease of Deployment and Network Resiliency Autonomous and Passive Optical Detection Capabilities Slingshot’s SDA Solutions ..read more

AN ‘OUT OF THIS WORLD’ PARKING JOB Even in space, there is traffic, and navigating a satellite requires precise knowledge of where other objects are at all times. In early 2023, Inmarsat, a global leader in mobile satellite communications, successfully maneuvered its next-generation satellite, Inmarsat I-6 F1, to its orbital slot in geostationary orbit (GEO) despite the challenges of operating in a congested area ..read more

Much happened in space during 2022. In July the James Space Webb Telescope, the largest optical telescope in space, delighted the world with stunning images, revealing the most detailed view ever of the Universe. After a series of stalled attempts, Artemis I finally launched on 16 November from the Kennedy Space Center to make its journey around the Moon – marking the beginning of the return of humans to the lunar surface. China completed the construction of its own space station, Tiangong, with the successful launches and docking of Wentian and Mengtian lab modules.  ..read more

The first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket has been long awaited, and it has the honor of beginning humankind’s return to the Moon. Initially, it will be used for test flights, including the recently launched Artemis I mission, and then, eventually, will return humans to the Moon. Later, larger-scale operations of the Artemis program will involve the planned lunar Gateway orbiting space station. We are excited to play a role as we help to track the Artemis I mission to and from the Moon using our Global Sensor Network, and we will be providing updates throughout th ..read more

A year has passed since Seradata, a Slingshot Aerospace company, and Numerica Space (now part of Slingshot Aerospace) broke the news to the world that Russia had destroyed one of its own satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). So, what happened then, and what has happened since this destructive anti-satellite (ASAT) test? Around 0246 GMT on 15 November 2021, a Russian A-235/PL-19 Nudol missile, was launched from Plesetsk in Northern Russia. Approximately five minutes later, the missile intercepted a defunct Soviet-era satellite known as Cosmos 1408.  ..read more

How do we ensure that safety and sustainability is at the core of every space mission? On October 26, 2022 subject matter experts gathered at the ASCEND Conference in Las Vegas to discuss. A panel, “Space Traffic Management Norms and Behaviors,” led by Charlie McGilliis, VP of Partnerships at Slingshot Aerospace, took a deep look into the topic to discuss and explore possible solutions to this global issue.   The esteemed panel included Doug Engelhardt, Technical Fellow, Satellite Navigation Systems Architect from Maxar Technologies; Dr. David Goldstein, Principal Guidance Navigation and ..read more

As a space sustainability company, it is our mission to create a safer, more connected world. That mission drives every choice we make at Slingshot, including the decision to acquire Numerica Space and Seradata.  ..read more

Looking back to mid-November when Russia destroyed a defunct Soviet satellite orbiting at an altitude of 480 km, gives the world a wider look at Russia’s strategy in light of its invasion into Ukraine. Putin wasn’t just after effecting the future regulation of space weapons and wanting to be a part of any negotiations, but he was sending a clear signal. Knowing Russia planned to invade Ukraine prior to the ASAT test, Russia wanted the world to know it not only had the capability, but was willing to use it. Russia knew the environmental damage an ASAT test at high altitude would cause, includi ..read more