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COLORADO SPRINGS – Still in test mode, the US Air Force Space Barrier on Kwajalein Atoll detected the 27 March Indian anti-satellite test and issued a break alert.
"We stood up during an endurance test and we were very pleased to see that the system was working in a nominal way," said Matthew Hughes, program development manager for space fences and the Lockheed Martin space surveillance SpaceNews. "Space Fence is about the ability to identify ruptures, maneuvers, close objects, proximity operations, new launches abroad."
Lockheed Martin has completed the construction of Space Fence and is testing and evaluating its capabilities. The air force must begin using ground radar, which sends a curtain of radiofrequency energy wider than that of the continental United States, in the fourth quarter of this year.
Related: The anti-satellite missile test of India is a big problem. Here's why.
The spacing barrier is designed to detect unusual activity in orbit, such as multiple objects in orbit that do not correlate with objects in the Network Surveillance Space Catalog. When new objects are detected, he issues alerts and starts tracking them to determine their orbits, he added.
Lockheed Martin has also completed the search for a location for a second Space Fence in Western Australia. The Air Force authorized Lockheed Martin to inspect the site but did not request funding for the construction of a second space barrier in its 2020 budget.
Having a second site, particularly one in the southern hemisphere "would greatly increase the accuracy and timeliness" of unusual orbital activities by allowing the radar to observe objects more frequently, said Hughes. Since most space surveillance radars are located in the northern hemisphere, "a southern hemisphere site adds a lot of value," he added.
This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to cover all aspects of the space industry.
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