COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems in Colorado Springs, Colo., a $27,456,111 contract modification to support the Space Fence radar system, a ground-based sensor used for tracking objects in Earth orbit.
The modification (P00006) to contract FA8820-25-C-B002 supports continued engineering and technical services for the Space Fence System, including detection, tracking, and intelligence functions. The award increases the contract's cumulative value to $66,142,810.
The Space Fence system is a high-sensitivity S-band radar designed to detect and track smaller objects in low Earth orbit, contributing to the U.S. military’s space domain awareness architecture. The system relies on advanced digital beamforming, high-throughput signal processing, and real-time data handling to maintain an accurate catalog of orbiting objects and support conjunction warnings and threat characterization.
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Under the modification, Lockheed Martin will provide original equipment manufacturer engineering support, a structure that reflects the system’s reliance on proprietary architectures and tightly integrated hardware and software. Work is expected to include radar performance optimization, software maintenance and upgrades, and continued refinement of detection and tracking algorithms to address growing orbital congestion.
Tech upgrade
The Space Fence program represents a generational upgrade over the legacy Air Force Space Surveillance System, which operated for decades using VHF radar to detect objects passing over the continental United States. The modern system transitions to higher-frequency S-band sensing and an active electronically scanned array (AESA) architecture, enabling significantly improved resolution, sensitivity, and the ability to detect smaller debris in increasingly crowded orbital regimes.
The system is built around large-scale active electronically scanned array radar, digital beamforming, and software-defined waveform control, supported by high-performance embedded computing and signal processing pipelines. These technologies enable simultaneous search and track operations, rapid revisit rates, and automated multi-object tracking, while producing high-quality data for integration into broader Space Force command-and-control and space domain awareness networks.
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The primary operational site at Kwajalein Atoll provides advantageous equatorial coverage of low Earth orbit, while additional work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base. The period of performance runs through 30 April 2027. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,140,000 are being obligated at the time of award.
The contract underscores the Space Force’s focus on sustaining and incrementally enhancing existing sensor infrastructure through software-defined upgrades, particularly in signal processing and embedded computing, as demand grows for persistent, high-fidelity tracking of objects in increasingly congested orbital regimes.
