# US 12,190,744 B2 · Suborbital space traffic control system with radar system and ADS-B receiver

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- Number: US 12,190,744 B2
- Document ID: US12190744B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/297,416
- Filed: 2019-11-27
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-27
- Assignees: Leonardo S.P.A.
- Applicants: Leonardo S.P.A.
- Inventors: Manuel Fuselli; Sandro Strappaveccia
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12190744B2

## CPC

- G08G 5/80: Anti-collision systems
- B64G 1/242: {Orbits and trajectories}
- B64G 3/00: Observing or tracking cosmonautic vehicles
- G01S 13/726: {Multiple target tracking}
- G01S 13/933: of aircraft or spacecraft
- G08G 5/21: located onboard the aircraft
- G08G 5/25: Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft
- G08G 5/56: for two or more aircraft
- G08G 5/723: {from the aircraft}
- H04B 7/1851: {Systems using a satellite or space-based relay (H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576)}
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- B64G: COSMONAUTICS; VEHICLES OR EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- H04B: TRANSMISSION

## Abstract

The invention concerns a suborbital space traffic control system that comprises: a radar system configured to monitor a predetermined suborbital region and detect and track objects in the predetermined suborbital region. The objects include vehicles and space debris; and a suborbital space traffic monitoring system configured to: receive, from the radar system, tracking data related to the objects detected and tracked by the radar system; monitor, on the basis of the tracking data, trajectories of the objects in the predetermined suborbital region using one or more predetermined machine-learning techniques to detect potentially hazardous situations for the vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region; and, if it detects a potentially hazardous situation for one or more given vehicles, transmit corresponding alarm messages to the given vehicle(s).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A suborbital space traffic control system, comprising:
a radar system configured to
monitor a predetermined suborbital region comprised between a first predetermined altitude of 20/22 km and a second predetermined altitude of 120/150 km from earth's surface, and
detect and track vehicles and space debris in said predetermined suborbital region;
a suborbital space traffic monitoring system; and
a communications infrastructure configured to allow the suborbital space traffic monitoring system to carry out
ground-air and air-ground communications with the vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region, and
ground-ground communications with other ground systems;
wherein the radar system includes:
a primary radar sensor equipped with an electronically scanned array antenna;
an ADS-B receiver based on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology; and
a radar processing unit, which is connected to the primary radar sensor and to the ADS-B receiver to receive data therefrom, and is configured to
detect and track the vehicles and the space debris in the predetermined suborbital region on the basis of the data received from said primary radar sensor and from said ADS-B receiver,
generate tracking data related to said detected and tracked vehicles and space debris, and
provide the suborbital space traffic monitoring system with said tracking data;
wherein said suborbital space traffic monitoring system is configured to:
monitor, on the basis of the tracking data received from the radar system, trajectories of the vehicles and of the space debris in the predetermined suborbital region by using one or more predetermined machine-learning techniques to detect
one or more potential collision situations between/among two or more of the vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region,
one or more potential collision situations between/among one or more pieces of the space debris and one or more of the vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region, and
one or more explosions of one or more vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region;
if it detects, on the basis of the monitored trajectories, a potential collision situation between/among two or more first vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region, transmit corresponding alarm messages to said first vehicles;
if it detects, on the basis of the monitored trajectories, a potential collision situation between/among one or more pieces of the space debris and one or more second vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region, transmit one or more corresponding alarm messages to said second vehicle(s);
if it detects a first collision between/among two or more third vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region,
operate the primary radar sensor to detect and track debris produced by said first collision, and
monitor trajectories of said debris produced by said first collision by using the predetermined machine-learning technique(s);
if it detects a second collision between/among one or more pieces of the space debris and one or more fourth vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region,
operate the primary radar sensor to detect and track debris produced by said second collision, and
monitor trajectories of said debris produced by said second collision by using the predetermined machine-learning technique(s);
if it detects an explosion of a fifth vehicle in the predetermined suborbital region,
operate the primary radar sensor to detect and track debris produced by said explosion, and
monitor trajectories of said debris produced by said explosion by using the predetermined machine-learning technique(s);
communicate with the vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region through the primary radar sensor by using a technology based on/derived from L-band Digital Aeronautical Communication System technology; and
provide payload management via a satellite connection, wherein a payload is extracted based on Ka bands, L bands, or a combination thereof from the satellite connection.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined suborbital region is comprised between flight level (FL) 650 and 150 km from earth's surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined machine-learning technique(s) is/are predetermined deep-learning technique(s).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein the suborbital space traffic monitoring system is configured to monitor the trajectories of the vehicles and of the space debris in the predetermined suborbital region also on the basis of data received from one or more satellite tracking systems.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein the suborbital space traffic monitoring system is configured to monitor the trajectories of the vehicles and of the space debris in the predetermined suborbital region also on the basis of data received from one or more anti-ballistic missile radar systems.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein the ADS-B receiver is configured to receive ADS-B signals directly from the vehicles in the predetermined suborbital region.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein the ADS-B receiver is configured to receive ADS-B signals via one or more satellites.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein a segregated airspace region extends between earth's surface and the predetermined suborbital region, with only vehicles that are reaching, or that are coming from, said predetermined suborbital region being allowed to pass through said segregated airspace region;
wherein the suborbital space traffic monitoring system is configured to:
operate the primary radar sensor to track aircraft in airspaces adjacent to the segregated airspace region;
monitor trajectories of said aircraft by using the predetermined machine-learning technique(s) to detect potential collision situations between the vehicles in the segregated airspace region and the aircraft in the airspaces adjacent to the segregated airspace region; and,
if it detects a potential collision situation between a vehicle in the segregated airspace region and an aircraft in an airspace adjacent to the segregated airspace region, transmit a corresponding alarm message to said vehicle in the segregated airspace region and to at least one air traffic control system that controls said aircraft in said airspace adjacent to the segregated airspace region.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The suborbital space traffic control system according to claim 1, wherein the electronically scanned array antenna is configured to emit electronically controlled narrow and independent beams, wherein a portion of the beams are used for surveillance of traditional airspace and a second portion of the beams are used for tracking and monitoring suborbital flights.