WASHINGTON — Slingshot Aerospace, a space tracking and analytics company based in California and Colorado, has been awarded a $5.3 million contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to design the user experience for a next-generation space traffic coordination platform.
The 12-month contract, announced on Nov. 26, includes options for four additional years, bringing the potential total value to $13.3 million.
The project, known as the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), is a cornerstone initiative designed to modernize U.S. space traffic management and ensure the safety of civil and commercial satellites. NOAA expects TraCSS.gov, the system’s primary interface, to launch by late 2025, ahead of the scheduled migration of commercial users from the Department of Defense’s legacy space-track.org system.
“This contract award represents the next major step forward in our effort to provide spaceflight safety services to global space operators,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. “By leveraging Slingshot’s commercial, off-the-shelf solutions, we expect to have TraCSS.gov online and ready to sign up public users by late 2025.”
Richard DalBello, Director of NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce, said Slingshot’s visualization tools “will make our technical data accessible via a modern interface reflecting the latest innovations in software and user experience design.”
Space policy shift
The TraCSS initiative emerged from Space Policy Directive-3 (SPD-3), issued in 2018, which directed OSC to take over space traffic coordination responsibilities from the DoD. The move reflects the growing commercialization of space and the need for a more user-centric platform as the number of active satellites, now exceeding 10,000, continues to rise.
TraCSS will provide tools to track satellites and debris, predict potential collisions, and enable coordinated maneuvers. These capabilities are vital in an era of increasing congestion in low Earth orbit, driven by large satellite constellations from companies like SpaceX.
The presentation layer, or user interface, designed by Slingshot, will serve as the system’s “front door.” This platform will make technical data — including conjunction warnings that help satellite operators avoid collisions — accessible through modern visualization tools.
‘Beacon’ software
Slingshot will integrate its proprietary software, Slingshot Beacon, into the TraCSS interface, enhancing capabilities for satellite operators to share information and coordinate maneuvers in real time. “Deploying the TraCSS user interface is the next major step in operationalizing U.S. civil space traffic coordination,” said Audrey Schaffer, Slingshot’s vice president of strategy and policy.
This is Slingshot’s second major contract with OSC, following an award earlier this year to provide satellite tracking data for a pilot project on low Earth orbit.
For the presentation layer, Slingshot will collaborate with system integrator T and T Consulting Services and space tracking firm COMSPOC.
Once operational, TraCSS is expected to serve a diverse range of users, from commercial satellite operators and academics to national security agencies. NOAA has emphasized the system’s global mission, aiming to improve transparency and safety across the increasingly crowded orbital environment.
Several companies have been awarded contracts for the TraCSS program:
- Parsons Government Services received a $27 million contract for system integration and cloud management support services for TraCSS.
- LeoLabs, Slingshot Aerospace, and COMSPOC were selected for a pathfinder project to shape TraCSS by collecting and organizing data on spacecraft and debris in orbit.
- ExoAnalytic Solutions, Slingshot Aerospace, and COMSPOC won agreements to provide space situational awareness data services in low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).
- SpaceNav and Kayhan Space were selected to serve as data quality monitors for LEO and GEO observations as part of the pathfinder project.
