Space Fence radar construction underway in South Pacific
NewsMarch 24, 2015
KWAJALEIN ATOLL, Marshall Islands. Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force officials broke ground on site for the Space Fence radar on Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
To read more about the Space Fence radar system, click here.
The S-band ground-based radar system will replace the 1960s Air Force Space Surveillance System to enhance the way objects are tracked in orbit and improve U.S. ability to predict and prevent space-based collisions.
“The number of small satellites and satellite operators around the world is skyrocketing, rapidly crowding an environment already congested by the more than 17,000 pieces of space debris that we are able to track today,” says Steve Bruce, vice president for Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training business. “By comparison, when it comes online in 2018, Space Fence will enable the Air Force to locate and track hundreds of thousands of objects orbiting Earth with more precision than ever before to help reduce the potential for collisions with our critical space-based infrastructure.”
In addition to the radar arrays, the Kwajalein installation will also have an on-site operations center and an annex to the current island power plant that will enable the Space Fence system to have what it needs to provide continuous space situational awareness.
Lockheed Martin won the $915 million Space Fence contract in June of 2014. Its value is approximately greater than $1.5 billion over an eight-year period of performance if all the options are exercised.
The Lockheed Martin-led team includes AMEC Foster Wheeler and General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies.
