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Topic: Nasa / Space

US Space Fence plants first post – on a Pacific island

Summary: The US Air Force's $3.5bn Space Fence surveillance system is designed to detect satellites and debris in low Earth orbit, and its first radar station will be based in the Marshall Islands.

Jon Yeomans

By |

The first radar post for the US Air Force's 'Space Fence' surveillance system will be built on Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands, military authorities have announced.

Space Fence
The Space Fence will track debris and satellites in low and medium earth orbit. Image: Lockheed Martin

The Space Fence is designed to track thousands of space objects, including satellites and man-made debris, in low and medium Earth orbits. Construction on Kwajalein Island is expected to begin in 2013, with the station coming online in 2017, the US Air Force (USAF) said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to USAF, the Space Fence radar system will operate in the S-Band frequency and will be capable of detecting a softball-sized object from 1,200 miles away. When finished, it will "provide evidence of satellite break-ups, collisions or unexpected manoeuvres of satellites", the USAF said.

Air Force Space Command is yet to award a contract to build the radar. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are both working on technology for the Space Fence, which has a price tag of $3.5bn and will reportedly be able to track some 200,000 objects in orbit. According to the USAF, around 95 percent of space objects are debris.

Air Force Space Command supports the US military worldwide through its use of satellite and space technology. It celebrated its 30th anniversary this month, having opened on 1 September, 1982.

Topics: Nasa / Space, Emerging Tech

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4 comments
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  • Look don't touch.

    Yes. Lets look at all the trash we are polluting our planetary orbit with. Not clean it up.
    ZDBurger
    Reply Vote

    • Okay, I'll humor you

      Where are we going to put the trash once we clean it up?
      WozNotWoz
      Reply Vote

    • Gotta know where it is before you can clean it up.

      Without having a good handle on the debris location, it would be like someone telling you to go pick up the titanium fuel tank that fell overboard while they were crossing the Pacific Ocean last year.

      Once we know where the orbits and velocities, we might be able to deal with it, maybe simple robotic space craft that can solar sail their way around rendezvousing with the debris and redirecting it to a collection depot at L-5 where it can be refurbished or recycled.
      jcrjohnson
      Reply Vote

      • What? Find it before we clean it up?

        Why don't we just blindly fly around and look for it with eyeballs? That'll save money! /sarcasm

        Sorry, rant over. I agree with your comment 100%.
        longhornak
        Reply Vote
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