The U.S. Department of State has invited Roberto Furfaro, a University of Arizona systems and industrial engineering professor, to join an expert discussion group informing the United Nations’ efforts to improve space traffic coordination.

As Earth’s orbit grows increasingly crowded with satellites and debris from inactive spacecraft, Furfaro will provide technical expertise to the U.S. delegation of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. 

His contributions will focus on space situational awareness, or SSA – the ability to characterize, track and understand the behavior of objects in space – to help ensure the long-term safety and sustainability of the near-space environment. 

“Joining the discussion group gives me a chance to bring real-world research to the table and help shape best practices for how we share and use data in space,” said Furfaro, who also serves as deputy director of the U of A’s Space4 Center. “As human activity expands beyond Earth orbit, it is essential to pair technical excellence with transparency and international cooperation.”

Managing Orbital Traffic

According to the United States Space Command, thousands of active satellites now share space with defunct spacecraft, rocket bodies and other space debris, some as small as paint flecks, raising the risk of collisions. An estimated 20,000 to 100,000 new satellites could launch over the next decade, creating hazards to astronauts, spacecraft and everyday services like communications, banking and GPS. 

“This expansion brings new technical and coordination challenges that demand collaborative, global solutions,” Furfaro said.

The State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs is convening private sector advisors for the discussion group, which will identify critical safety concerns and responsible and sustainable practices for space operations. The group will also address the economic and regulatory challenges of international space activities and explore new ways for governments, foreign partners and the commercial space sector to collaborate. 

“These expert discussions are vital because countries are working to develop ways to track and control the increasing number of objects in orbit,” Furfaro said. “This capability, SSA, acts like an invisible shield – preventing collisions and ensuring satellites can reliably support communications, navigation, weather forecasting and national security. Without effective monitoring, congestion and debris could threaten these essential services.”

Beyond Earth’s orbit: The cislunar frontier

Furfaro’s background is in orbital mechanics and machine learning for objects in space. As part of that, he is developing advanced sensing systems, cyberinfrastructure and artificial intelligence tools to improve the analysis of space objects. This work ranges from objects in low Earth orbit, or LEO, generally extending up to about 1,200 miles above Earth, to cislunar space, the region between and around Earth and the moon, extending beyond the moon’s orbit, roughly 240,000 miles from Earth.

Alongside Vishnu Reddy, professor of planetary sciences and director of the Space4 Center, Furfaro leads a $7.5 million research program funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, aimed at better understanding and addressing traffic congestion in space by learning what objects are in orbit and where they are at any given time. 

“Roberto’s selection reflects both his technical leadership and the growing importance of space situational awareness as we expand beyond Earth orbit,” Reddy said. “His work at the intersection of AI and space engineering is helping define how the global community will safely operate in increasingly complex orbital environments.”

Payloads launched into cislunar orbit are mostly self-reported, and they are not monitored by a central international agency. The Space4 team is developing ways for detecting, characterizing and tracking these objects, supporting a safe path to the moon as space programs plan to send humans back to the lunar surface as soon as 2028. 

Furfaro also leads the university’s participation in a multinational initiative supported by the UK Space Agency International Bilateral Fund, partnering with the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia to advance dependable AI technologies. 

The initiative brings together academic and industry expertise to accelerate the development of AI technologies from concept, at early technology readiness levels, to adoption in the space sector. The partnership also advances the establishment a virtual Institute on AI for Space Safety and Sustainability to drive global collaboration and innovation in this growing field. 

Furfaro is a fellow of the American Astronautical Society and associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. From 2010 to 2016, he was the systems engineering lead for the Science Processing and Operations Center of the NASA OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. He currently is the lead for the target follow-up team of the NASA NEO Surveyor Mission. For his contribution to space missions, the asteroid 2003 WX3 was renamed 133474 Roberto Furfaro.