GMSPAZIO Enhances the Defense of Space Assets in Brazil

Starting in December 2023, the Aerospace Operations Command (COMAE), through the Space Operations Center (COPE) in Brasilia, and the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), through the Aeronautics Technological Institute (ITA) in São José dos Campos, have added new capabilities to their space object monitoring system with the GSTT/Orbit Guard system developed by the Italian company GMSPAZIO and distributed and supported in Brazil by ANACOM.

The software, designed and entirely developed in Italy by GMSPAZIO, increases and enhances Brazil's current Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capabilities, enabling an advanced autonomous capability to predict and prevent potential collisions of Brazilian satellites with other space objects. The solution will also allow for the autonomous assessment of space objects re-entering the atmosphere and the identification of potential collision threats with Brazilian territory or other nations, if necessary.

The GSTT/Orbit Guard solution will be complemented with the addition of a network of remotely operated telescopes that will provide astrometric data on space objects of interest to Brazil, adding new capabilities to Brazilian Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) operations.

The project, structured by the ITA Space Center (CEI) and conceived by Major Pedro Kukulka de Albuquerque, is funded by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), along with the Ministry of Defense (MD), and the Funding Authority for Studies and Projects (FINEP), an institution of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

"The GSTT/Orbit Guard software adds relevant capabilities in managing our SSA/SST systems," explains Captain Carlos Eduardo de Sá Amaral Oliveira, current Head of the CEI and Coordinator of the ITA Space Object Monitoring Laboratory Project, "improving not only the protection of our assets in orbit but also conducting research and development activities in this field."

At the end of January, a meeting for the initial configuration of the system and the exchange of experiences between future operators concluded successfully at the COMAE facilities in Brasilia, involving both the local team and the ITA team.

"We are very proud to have been selected to support the SSA/SST of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) through our GSTT/Orbit Guard solution," stated Dr. Antonio Nicoletti, GMSPAZIO Sales Manager and responsible for the project's implementation, "and we will provide assistance and technological updates to enable Brazil to become a leading country in these sectors in South America."

Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Rafael de Almeida Duque, head of the Space Situational Awareness Cell of COPE, emphasizes: "The arrival of this software represents an important milestone in the development of Brazil's SSA capabilities. It will significantly enhance our ability to defend our space assets."