Space Fence goes operational; orbital tracker radar from Lockheed Martin should be able to follow everything

April 9, 2020
The Space Fence will track the existing 26,000 orbital objects already accounted for in the existing Space Surveillance Network (SSN), and new objects.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Space Force in Washington has announced that its Space Fence radar system is officially operational. TechCrunch reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

9 April 2020 -- The Space Fence actually is a radar system that aims to provide advanced tracking of on-orbit objects such as commercial and military satellites.

The Space Fence ground infrastructure is located in the Marshall Islands, and is in the initial operational capability and operational acceptance phase. The program will track the existing 26,000 orbital objects already accounted for in the existing Space Surveillance Network (SSN).

The orbital tracker technology developed by Lockheed Martin Corp. on behalf of Space Force can pick up items roughly the size of a marble in low-Earth orbit, and eventually should catalog just about every active and passive potential observation, communication, and potentially militarized in-space assets operated by just about anyone.

Related: Air Force chooses Lockheed Martin to design and build Space Fence radar to track space junk

Related: Raytheon to upgrade early warning radar system

Related: Army eyes VHF aircraft radar able to detect hidden IEDs from altitudes as high as 25,000 feet

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Military Aerospace, create an account today!