TheSpace Fence is a second-generationspace surveillance system operated by theUnited States Space Force in order to trackartificial satellites andspace debris inEarth orbit.[1] It was constructed and designed byLockheed Martin,Northrop Grumman, andRaytheon starting in 2009, with it being declared operational in March 2020.[1][2] The budget isUS$1.594 billion (FY15).[3] The main facility is located atKwajalein Atoll in theMarshall Islands.[1][4]
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The initial plans to upgrade the legacyAir Force Space Surveillance System were made in 2009. The USAF 850th Electronic Systems Group,Electronic Systems Center awarded three $30-million study contracts toLockheed Martin,Northrop Grumman,General Dynamics, andRaytheon on 11 June 2009.[5]
The new Space Fence was envisioned to be a system of two or threeS-band ground-based radars designed to perform uncued detection, tracking and accurate measurement of orbiting space objects, and was intended to replace the Air Force Space Surveillance System, or VHF Fence, that was transferred from theUS Navy to theUS Air Force in 2004. The shorter wavelength of the S-band Space Fence will allow for the detection of much smaller satellites anddebris.[5]
The2009 satellite collision of theIridium 33 andKosmos 2251 communications satellites, which added hundreds more pieces of debris in orbit, highlighted the need for more precisetracking of space objects.[6]
As of 2009[update], data collected from the new Space Fence's sensors was planned to feed into theJoint Space Operations Center Mission System, which is used to track objects orbiting the Earth, monitorspace weather, and assess foreign launches. Used by operators at the USAF614th Air and Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the 614 AOC's 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week support provides vigilance of global and theater operations, and equips the Joint Functional Component Command for space operations with the tools to conduct command and control of space forces.[5]
Plans to award the final contract were delayed by the federal government'sbudget sequestration in early 2013[7] and the AFSSS system was scheduled to be discontinued in October 2013 due to budget cuts.[8]
In 2014,Lockheed Martin awarded a contract for the Space Fence ground structures toGeneral Dynamics. The ground structures include the receive array, cooling equipment, radomes and other buildings. The primary Space Fence system is located onKwajalein Atoll in theMarshall Islands. TheU. S. Space Force declared the system operational on March 28, 2020.[2]
The Space Fence will useS-band radar and will track a larger number of small objects than previous space radars: "about 200,000 objects and make 1.5 million observations per day, about 10 times the number" made by existing or recently retired US assets.[1]
Countries with space situational awareness data-sharing agreements in place with the USAF include Australia, Japan, Italy, Canada, France, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. It also "has agreements with theEuropean Space Agency and Europe’sEumetsat weather satellite organization."[1]
A previous system used by the USAF for the same purpose was theAir Force Space Surveillance System, which ceased operation in September 2013.[9]
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