AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics) AIAA History of U.S. Space Surveillance and Satellite Cataloging

Explore the unexpected origins of orbital tracking in this historical account from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. While technical capabilities usually follow a structured path of requirement definition and testing, the need for space surveillance emerged from a sudden global shift. The launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, forced the United States to react to a brand new reality. This book details how engineers and scientists had to invent solutions for tracking artificial Earth satellites and maintaining orbital element catalogs for a problem that did not exist before 1957. This text provides a look into how external circumstances and technical necessity drove the development of space monitoring. It is an essential read for those interested in the history of space operations, satellite management, and the rapid evolution of aerospace technology during the early space age.