Description
Objective: The objective of this Phase I effort is to conduct a feasibility study of a commercially derived, Wide-Field-of-View (WFOV) Electro-Optical (EO) payload concept to support persistent Space Domain Awareness (SDA) in the geostationary (GEO) belt. Existing SDA capabilities, such as the joint National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) — United States Space Force (USSF) SILENTBARKER mission, provide a reference point for current approaches to GEO object detection, custody, and indications and warning. This topic seeks to explore commercially derived WFOV EO payload concepts that could inform future enhancements to space-based SDA capabilities beyond the current state of the art. Phase I will evaluate candidate payload architectures and mature Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) for autonomous wide-area GEO search, dynamic tasked collections on priority Resident Space Objects (RSOs), and generation of timely tip-and-cue data suitable for integration with complementary SDA and reconnaissance systems. The feasibility study will assess performance, scalability, and integration considerations associated with commercially derived imaging technologies, with the goal of identifying viable approaches that align with anticipated Space Force SDA mission needs. The outcome of Phase I will be a documented feasibility assessment and a clearly defined roadmap for Phase II prototype development, including recommended payload architectures, key technical risks, and operational considerations. Description: As adversary space capabilities continue to advance and challenge established patterns of behavior, the need to improve awareness of activities in the geostationary (GEO) belt has become increasingly critical. Current limitations in the ability to detect, characterize, and respond to unexpected maneuvers in GEO create risk of operational surprise. The space domain is becoming more congested and contested, driving demand for persistent, wide-area surveillance capabilities that can autonomously identify, track, and provide timely alerts on objects of interest. Existing space-based Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capabilities, such as the joint NRO–USSF SILENTBARKER mission, provide a reference point for current approaches to GEO object detection, custody, and indications and warning. While these capabilities demonstrate important advances in SDA, evolving threats, mission complexity, and operational demands highlight the need to explore additional sensing concepts that could enhance persistence, responsiveness, and resilience beyond the current state of the art. There is a recognized gap in the availability of scalable, wide-field-of-view sensing solutions capable of providing continuous, wide-area GEO surveillance. Current architectures rely on a limited number of sensors optimized for focused observation, which can constrain coverage, revisit rates, and responsiveness. Commercially derived Wide-Field-of-View (WFOV) Electro-Optical (EO) payloads offer the potential to complement existing SDA approaches by enabling broader search volumes, higher revisit rates, and increased autonomy while leveraging commercial innovation to improve affordability and scalability. This topic seeks innovative WFOV EO payload concepts that can support autonomous GEO-belt search, dynamic tasking, and generation of actionable data suitable for integration with complementary SDA and reconnaissance systems. Solutions should consider the operational challenges of GEO surveillance, including solar exclusion constraints, thermal and radiation environments, platform integration considerations, and compatibility with existing command, control, and data-processing architectures. The long-term vision of this topic is to inform future space-based SDA architectures by identifying viable, commercially derived WFOV EO payload approaches that could enhance persistent GEO surveillance, reduce decision timelines, and improve the ability to maintain custody of critical space objects in support of U.S. Space Force mission needs. References to existing SDA systems are provided for contextual understanding only and do not imply a commitment to transition or acquisition. Keywords: Surviellance; Space Based Surviellance; Proliferation; Contstellation; Resident Space Object; Space Domain Awareness; Geostationary Orbit; GEO Belt; visual magnitude; Electro Optical; Free Flyer; Wide area Field of View; SILENTBARKER; GEO SDA; EO WFOV CMMC Level: Level 2 (Self)