Space operations and software company Saber Astronautics has successfully deployed its new AI‑enabled Space Domain Awareness (SDA) system, WINDU, marking a major step forward for automated space operations.
The company, which has mission control operations at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, has officially launched the platform after live trials showed WINDU could cut complex orbital analysis tasks from an hour to less than a minute.
Saber Astronautics CEO Dr Jason Held said WINDU, which is deployed and operational at the US Space Force, would help automate high-tempo SDA workflows and accelerate decision-making for military and civil mission operators.
The system, developed from the company’s Colorado lab, will enhance the operations at its Responsive Space Operations Centre in South Australia, with the capability now available to both local and international customers.
“We designed WINDU to be a true force multiplier,” Dr Held said. “As the number of objects in orbit continues to grow, operators are struggling to keep pace. WINDU cuts through the noise, identifying meaningful hazards and enabling faster, more confident decisions.”
Space Domain Awareness (SDA) is the ability to track, interpret and predict activity in space. It has become critical as the number of satellites and debris objects continues to rise.
Traditional SDA processes rely heavily on manual analysis, with a single rendezvous or proximity operation often requiring 60 minutes of expert assessment to determine potential threats.
In testing, WINDU reduced that workload to under 60 seconds, enabling operators to process multiple events simultaneously while identifying previously undetected hazards.
Saber achieved this by fusing radar, optical and other sensor data and applying mission‑specific procedures through AI‑driven automation. The system autonomously generates assessments for launches, manoeuvres, break‑ups and proximity operations, delivering actionable information directly to mission operators.
Director Nathan Parrott said automation was now essential to maintaining operational advantage in space, with WINDU serving as a ‘digital guardian’ for SDA.
“By reducing analysis timelines from minutes to seconds, this capability allows our operators to stay ahead of emerging threats and focus on mission‑critical decisions at the speed required for modern space operations,” he said.
The project received an initial US$1.2 million from the US Space Force in 2025. Saber accelerated deployment by integrating WINDU into its Space Cockpit Battle Management System (SBMS), which maintains continuous Authority to Operate and is used across classified US Space Force networks by more than 3,000 operators.
