Seven teams advance to finals in annual SSC Fight Tonight competition

El Segundo, California (AFNS) — This year's Fight Tonight competition, organized by Space Systems Command, showcased a remarkable variety of innovative concepts aimed at enhancing our ability to use space-based data more quickly and finding new collaborations with commercial partners. On October 7, seven teams reached the finals and shared their proposals with leaders from the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command.

The winners will be revealed on November 15 at the Space Force Ball taking place in Los Angeles.

The annual Fight Tonight competition, organized by Space Systems Command, was introduced three years ago to encourage innovative solutions that support the vital mission of the Space Force—maintaining a safe environment in space for everyone. This competition is open to all SSC government staff, and every submission needs to have an operational sponsor from Space Operations Command to ensure that it is relevant to real-world operations. Winners of the competition can receive up to $12 million to fund their ideas.

This year, the SSC directed participants to concentrate on several key areas: lessening the burden on operators, improving systems that provide awareness of space conditions, refining the shared space overview for operational centers, supporting missions in restricted zones, and ensuring the reliability of tracking, telemetry, and command functions.

The teams showcased their submissions to a group of judges, which featured Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, the SSC commander; Joy M. White, the executive director of SSC; Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration; Brig. Gen. Chandler Atwood, the vice commander of Space Operations Command; and Col. Michelle Idle, the deputy commander of SSC.

Captain McKenna Medina, who heads the Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking team at SSC’s Space Sensing Program Office, started the last presentation session by discussing her team's proposal for a new tool called PRIMER. This stands for Precursor Refinement and Investigation Mapping for Exploration Recommendations. Medina explained that PRIMER is meant to enhance the analysis of satellite data, allowing for quicker identification of key areas that require more detailed examination. This tool aims to deliver tactical information to military personnel 33% faster and at a lower cost.

She explained that the concept originated from a TacSRT pilot program that started 10 months ago, aiming to collaborate with commercial vendors to provide tactical information to military personnel within a 72-hour timeframe. This pilot successfully produced 268 operational planning resources for seven combatant commands and 57 partner nations.

Medina stated that by integrating available data at the beginning of a query response, PRIMER would enable TacSRT operators to utilize and examine public imagery data. This would also help them customize commercial algorithms to offer historical insights and set baseline conditions, ultimately streamlining the process and timelines for future SRT queries.

For instance, one initial query covered an area of 6,000 square kilometers. Thanks to the commercial partner's access to years of NASA's nighttime data, the TacSRT team was able to focus their research on just six specific locations that warranted further exploration—one of which wasn't part of the initial request. This process narrowed the area of interest down to 1,100 square kilometers, leading to quicker outcomes and an impressive cost reduction of 82%. In some instances, savings have reached as high as 99%.

Moreover, Medina stated that “PRIMER will have the capability to recognize hostile infrastructure and unusual movements.” He added that it could also keep track of treaty breaches, identify weapons testing and launch operations, as well as react to natural disasters.

Maj. Donovan Hutchins, who leads the Assured Access to Space Operations, shared his team’s concept: the Launch Logistics, Execution, and Programmatic System. This system is designed to streamline launch scheduling by consolidating various aspects of launch data management. It addresses the challenges of handling an extensive, varied, and constantly changing array of information, including supply chain coordination, fluctuating launch timelines, equipment preparation times, launch safety measures, and daily launch operations, among other factors.

Hutchins' team discovered a total of 732 data sources throughout the AATS organization that play a key role in effective launch operations. However, they found that much of this data is isolated and not easily accessible. LEAPS aims to convert this scattered and fragmented information into valuable insights.

Hutchins explained, “Our main objective is to give valuable insights to our leaders who are making decisions at various levels—tactical, operational, and strategic. We also aim to enhance their awareness of the current situation regarding all ongoing developments.”

During a collaborative presentation with Lt. Col. Brian Kester, who leads Antenna Services, 2nd Lt. Devrin Chullanandana from the Acquisition Policies and Processes Division, serving as an action officer for Space Sensing PMA, explained the concept of the Joint Antenna Marketplace. As suggested by its name, the JAM aims to establish a centralized platform that links both government-owned and commercially available antennas to the missions of the Space Force.

USSF personnel are deeply worried about whether the Satellite Control Network can manage the large number of satellites it plans to launch, as well as the rapid flow of information required in today's competitive global landscape, according to Chullanandana.

Chullanandana stated, "The existing ground infrastructure, which operators depend on significantly, is not equipped to manage the volume of missions we expect. In 2021, the situation became critical, resulting in approximately 16,000 scheduling conflicts. During the Guardian Field Forum 2023, operators voiced their frustrations about being sidelined and not prioritized."

Kester clarified that JAM would enhance the SCN by improving the current scheduling system. It would bring together schedules from multiple vendors into one streamlined platform and would also enable the various satellite operations centers to submit their requests more easily.

Apoorva Bhopale, representing the Air Force Research Laboratory, showcased Space COP for use by Joint and Allied partners on SIPR. This is a version of the successful JWICS SDCCS Space Analytical-COP tool, adapted for SIPRNet and allied applications.

The Space Defense Characterization and Control System (SDCCS) is a well-developed Java application operating on JWICS, designed to deliver nearly real-time insights into the space domain and the common operating picture (COP) for space. According to Bhopale, one of its primary functions is to identify which objects in orbit are in proximity to one another. The SDCCS has been officially accepted by operations at the National Space Defense Center and is now maintained by SSC. Currently, it obtains space catalog data from SSC's Warp Core data hosting platform, as stated by Bhopale.

According to Bhopale, "The software is actively utilized by the Pacific U.S. Fleet Forces Command and the Navy in their day-to-day operations. It's also installed on the aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Lincoln, where it was employed during their most recent deployment."

Bhopale explained that this funding enhances an existing capability that is currently being utilized in real-life scenarios. "I have a clear understanding of the data sources we need, the essential source code is completed, and we have established development processes and agreements for innovation. This initiative streamlines the kill chain by implementing SDA across all levels, from NSDC to Co-Comm and even down to tactical units such as aircraft carriers and Army divisions."

Focusing on the area of improved space situational awareness, Capt. Trenton Harper, who manages the Space Domain Awareness program at SSC, shared his team's plan for Tactical and Persistent Monitoring of GEO Targets. This initiative involves a Super-Synchronous Small Satellite Surveillance System (S6), which aims to enhance GEO monitoring by utilizing two existing free-flying satellites equipped with optical instruments.

In 2026, there might be instances when the USSF’s SDA systems are overwhelmed, older systems are also strained, and communication failures occur. In such scenarios, an operator might urgently need information to aid in making wartime decisions, according to Harper. With S6, operators would be able to assign tasks to sensors and utilize cloud-based ground systems from commercial sources to quickly deliver essential data.

According to Harper, “S6 real-time tasking streamlines data processing and, thanks to its quick downlink, can sidestep older systems. This allows operators to gain a clear understanding of the combat environment and interact with defense mechanisms to achieve success in battle.”

Harper mentioned that the satellites are ready. If chosen, the Fight Tonight funding would support organized practice sessions with Space Operations Command to implement S6’s timing queue features using automated processing. It would also help with further software development, facilitate test rehearsals, and reduce the delays in data accessibility.

“Utilizing commercial technologies such as on-the-ground cloud processing and commercial antenna systems, we can enhance the reliability of our Telemetry, Tracking, and Network Control systems,” Harper explained. “This guarantees that even if our conventional resources are strained or compromised, we can still keep control and oversight in space.”

"Furthermore, we're lightening the load for operators by employing automated data processing and nearly instant, machine-aided task assignment. This allows us to provide actionable intelligence to soldiers more quickly than before," Harper stated.

Captain Trenton Harper, who oversees the Space Domain Awareness program at SSC, shared his team's plan for a Space Data Network Overlay Framework. This initiative aims to establish quick connectivity from the continental United States to various satellite communication networks in different orbits, reaching all the way to the tactical front lines.

If a conflict arises in the INDOPACOM region, "our Navy will have to traverse thousands of miles of open ocean to reach the area of operations," Johnson explained. Once they arrive, he emphasized that it's crucial for them to have reliable networks that facilitate effective communication from the east to the west.

Although the upcoming Space Data Network aims to address connectivity challenges, Johnson emphasized that military personnel require effective tools immediately, and definitely before 2026. The suggested overlay network would cut down communication planning time to just seconds.

"According to Johnson, users will connect to the overlay network using a compact device that works with their current hardware and allows them to tap into a mostly managed network."

Maj. Sean Allen, representing SSC's Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab, discussed a project titled "Dungeons and Dragons: Countering Space-Domain Camouflage, Concealment, and Deception." This initiative focuses on quickly analyzing data to identify "tripwire" anomalies, which could signal the presence of hidden space objects.

"Space is quite similar to other areas in many ways," Allen mentioned. "In order to safeguard and secure our systems, we have to address tactics like camouflage, concealment, and deception."

"Still, it’s not solely about safeguarding our assets in space," Allen explained. "To successfully engage in joint and multi-domain operations, we need to detect the enemy's space force enhancement systems. This could involve hidden payloads that might act as essential communication hubs, and we have to include these in our strategy. If we’re unaware of a node’s presence, we can’t effectively plan to counter it."

As early as 1963, the United States had worries about the possibility of rivals taking advantage of techniques to lessen satellite visibility. Nowadays, similar strategies are being adopted by certain commercial companies, like SpaceX. In recent years, they have introduced technologies to reduce optical signatures after astronomers expressed concerns that the initial satellite designs were “too bright,” according to Allen.

Allen stated that we have a wealth of available data and sensors that can be utilized in a software framework to identify particular ‘tripwire’ anomalies. The system, referred to as Dungeons and Dragons, will gather all relevant data and apply a thorough and methodical approach to look for signs of camouflage, concealment, and deception. It will then compile this information and manage sensor operations to keep a close watch on those objects while integrating with other existing systems.

Currently, this practice is applied at an unclassified level, but according to Allen, Dungeons and Dragons would elevate it to more classified tiers and streamline the entire process through automation.

"Even in its basic stage, the process is partially manual, but Dungeons and Dragons has consistently discovered over 600 real objects each week," Allen explained. "These items aren't listed in the public catalog, and we believe they don't come from the U.S. They also show signs of camouflage, concealment, or deception."

At the conclusion of the presentations, Rachel Souder-Arguedas, the director of Atlas X, expressed her gratitude to the finalists. She emphasized that one of the main goals of the competition was to ensure that every employee feels heard and has the opportunity to contribute and express their ideas.

"Regardless of whether you secure funding, sharing your ideas has significant worth," said Souder-Arguedas. "The fact that we managed to engage with these senior leaders for a couple of hours shows that they truly appreciate your thoughts, insights, and viewpoints."