What Happened
Commerce Department Spacewatch Effort Hangs In Balance
The Commerce Department’s Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) program, aimed at tracking civil and commercial space operations, remains in its nascent stages despite almost a decade of development and nearly $200 million in funding. As decisions on fiscal 2028 budgets approach, the program’s future hangs in the balance, with various options under consideration, including scrapping the program, maintaining it, or overhauling it. The outcome may have significant implications for the US space community’s ability to keep tabs on the growing number of satellites and space junk in orbit, according to Breaking Defense.