Integrate ATM, STM, and ETM to build one operational picture now. Put SDI’s state vectors and hazard polygons onto controller’s displays, keep TraCSS upstream for conjunctions, and make re-open performance a national metric tied to Part 450 risk limits.
These are the steps that need to be addressed to achieve these goals, let’s consider each one in more detail.
Space Data Integrator (SDI)
SDI ingests operator telemetry for launches and reentries and computes Aircraft Hazard Areas. It pushes the state vector and hazard polygons into the Traffic Flow Management System and Traffic Situation Display at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) System Command Center. That gives traffic managers live decision support during ascent and re-entry over the United States. So, SDI is not a sensor, it’s a real-time civil telemetry and analytics feed that turns “hazard clear” into minutes pilots can use. The 7 June, 2024 FAA release notes that about 70 percent of U.S. commercial space operations have shared SDI data since 2021 and that, combined with other tools, SDI has enabled re-openings as quickly as three minutes (FAA Claim).
The Inspector General still classifies SDI as a deployed prototype with limited fielding focused on the Command Center. That report flagged integration gaps and the need for a clear transition plan to an operational capability. The fix is obvious, certify SDI overlays for controller displays and standardise the “positive clear” cue. That means a live state vector, a hazard polygon, and an explicit clear signal that maps to Part 450 risk limits, presented on ERAM or STARS with auditable timestamps.
Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS)
The Office of Space Commerce’s TraCSS is the civilian hub for basic space situational awareness. In May 2025, the program implemented on-demand ephemerides screening and bulk submissions for operators. The service screens uploaded trajectories and returns conjunction results in minutes at operational cadence for large constellations. TraCSS should be used to eliminate orbital surprises and share risk cues across operators. Do not use TraCSS to make national airspace (NAS) re-open calls. Those remain an Air Traffic Organization (ATO) decision using SDI hazard control and Part 450 criteria. In July 2025, industry opposition to proposed funding cuts underscored the system’s public-safety value and the need for continuity through the planned production transition.
Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM)
ETM is a cooperative framework for operations at or above FL600. The concept shifts day-to-day separation responsibility to operators in that airspace while preserving ATC authority during climbs, descents, and contingencies. NASA and the FAA outlined the construct in the ETM ConOps v1.0 in 2020 and have since executed partner evaluations with high-altitude platforms. NASA Ames Space Act Agreements show collaborations with Aerostar, AeroVironment, and Sceye to evaluate a prototype ETM system between 2023 and 2029, supporting operator intent sharing and conflict negotiation at stratospheric altitudes. ETM data exchanges should be aligned to SWIM topics using AIXM for hazards and a simple intent schema so controllers see the same picture as service suppliers. That avoids a parallel system nobody wants.
CFR 14 Part 450
Re-open speed is an operational target, not a regulatory requirement. Part 450 provides that limits like collective public risk must be at or below 1×10⁻⁴ expected casualties per mission and individual public risk must be at or below 1×10⁻⁶ probability of casualty per launch or re-entry. Neighbouring operations personnel risk must satisfy the §450.101 limits, and aircraft casualty risk must be at or below 1×10⁻⁶ with hazard areas established per §450.161. So, SDI informs the real-time picture, and controllers apply Part 450-consistent criteria to re-open.
Rocket to Scope
The data path is simple and should be visible end-to-end. Operator telemetry flows to SDI, SDI computes a state vector and an Aircraft Hazard Area, and those products feed TFMS/TSD at the ATCSCC for decision support today, with overlays on ERAM and STARS as the near-term requirement. Targets should be near-real-time ingest and display with defined fallbacks to operator voice coordination and conservative polygons if feeds degrade.
The Integration Solution – what’s needed
Build a common aerospace operating picture that combines the three feeds in real time. First, surface SDI state vectors and hazard polygons on ERAM and STARS, not only at the Command Center. Second, publish TraCSS high-risk conjunction cues over SWIM for situational awareness, while leaving re-open authority with the ATO. Third, carry ETM operator intent over SWIM so high-altitude operations share status and plans with controllers and service suppliers. The viewer can be the existing controller display with certified overlays. The transport is SWIM, which already supports publish-subscribe patterns inside the NAS. The data encodings are AIXM for hazards and a lean, documented intent schema. Controllers do not need a second screen with a different truth, they need one picture that everyone trusts.
As for governance, the ATO owns re-open calls and airspace configuration, OSC owns baseline SSA and civilian conjunction services, and operators own intent quality and response times. Each event produces an auditable log of ingest health, “positive clear” times, and reopen timestamps that satisfy Part 450 documentation requirements.
Make Operational Performance Visible
Use a tight, repeatable cadence on every day there’s an event:
- T–30 minutes, publish refined polygons and candidate Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs)
- T–15 minutes, verify SDI feed health and backup voice circuits
- T+0 to clear, monitor the SDI track and the operator call line
- Zero to three minutes of a positive clear, release traffic if risk satisfies Part 450 thresholds and log the time.
The FAA states that re-opening’s “as quickly as three minutes” are already achieved in some facilities. The agency also reports the step-change in average closure duration since 2018.
When things go off nominal, keep it simple. If the vehicle deviates, treat it as a new hazard window and hold configurations until SDI shows risk collapse or the operator stands down. If SDI degrades, fall back to Traffic Management Unit (TMU)-operator voice and conservative polygons.
What Needs to be Measured and Published
There are three metrics that really matter to users. First, median time from hazard clear to first IFR release by site and mission class. Second, the 90th percentile for the same events in the first metric. Third, the re-route miles avoided versus static closures. Put those on a monthly airspace integration dashboard, with methods. The FAA shows the system already reduces closure time materially, and SDI participation has climbed since 2021, which supports further gains.
Targets for 2026
- Certify SDI overlays for ERAM and STARS with an auditable “clear” cue mapped to Part 450 criteria.
- Publish re-open performance by facility and mission class each month. Treat sub- five-minute median and sub- ten-minute 90th percentile as national goals, with site-specific targets where terrain or routes demand more.
- Keep TraCSS focused on conjunction screening and cross-domain hazard sharing. Ensure bi-directional cues so re-entry windows and Aircraft Hazard Areas (AHAs) publish to TraCSS users, and high-risk conjunctions flag to ATC via SWIM.
- Advance ETM flight evaluations with service-supplier participation and standardised operator intent exchange. Map ETM exchanges to SWIM with AIXM hazard encoding and a lean flight intent schema, so controllers, service suppliers, and operators share one picture.
Author’s Perspective
Stop treating ATM, STM, and ETM as separate groups in separate domains. The problem/solution is integration with accountable owners. Put SDI state vectors and hazard polygons on controller displays, publish TraCSS high-risk cues over SWIM for awareness, not control, and carry ETM operator intent over SWIM with simple, audited schemas. In the end, tie every re-open decision to Part 450 risk limits, assign owners and publish site metrics. To use fewer minutes, it needs to be one picture and one record of truth.
