Real-Time Monitoring and Command System for the Cheia Space Surveillance and Tracking Radar

The monitoring of space objects and debris in various orbits around Earth is of high importance for human activity in space, due to increasing risks to satellites and other spacecraft, but also due to the potential threat to people and assets on the ground. The European Space Policy for years 2021–2027 acknowledges and deals with this problem, includes a dedicated element for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and requires the establishment of a Framework for Space Surveillance and Tracking (EUSST) Support. As part of this effort, a new space tracking sensor, the CHEIA SST Radar, is being developed and installed in Romania with the purpose of being included in the EUSST sensors network and of contributing to the joint database of space objects orbiting the Earth. The paper describes the Monitoring and Command System of this Radar and describes the processes of design, simulation, and implementation of the software building blocks that make up this important radar sub-system.