Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Electro Optic Systems (EOS) are teaming to develop a new space object tracking site in western Australia that Lockheed Martin said will paint a more detailed picture of space debris for both government and commercial customers.
The site will use a combination of lasers and sensitive optical systems like those found in telescopes to detect, track and characterize man-made debris objects, according to a Lockheed Martin statement. Electro-optical technologies that can zoom in on specific objects can form a strong complement to radar-based systems like the Air Force’s Space Fence S-band, phased array, ground-based radar. Lockheed Martin earlier this summer edged out Raytheon to win the Air Force’s $915 million Space Fence contract.
Drawing on advanced sensors and software, the new site will focus on specific objects and determine how fast they’re moving, in what direction they’re spinning and what they are made of. Lockheed Martin spokesman Matthew Kramer said Tuesday the company is providing space situational awareness (SSA) mission and technology expertise while EOS will provide its laser and optical systems in addition to constructing and operating the facility. Kramer declined to say how much each company was investing in the project.
Kramer said laser ranging provides precise measurements of the location of individual space objects by firing laser pulses through a telescope at passing objects and measuring the time taken for the pulses to return to earth. Electro optical technologies, Kramer said, are used to examine the object to gather more information about what the space object is and what direction it is spinning. This, Kramer said, gives operators a much better picture of what the object is and the threat it might pose to orbiting satellites.
Groundbreaking on the facility near Exmouth is expected within the next several months, Kramer said, and the site is expected to be operational in early 2016. Kramer said the size of the facility will be about the size of an astronomical observatory.
While Kramer said the facility and Space Fence are not directly related, they address complementary components of the SSA challenge. The Lockheed Martin-EOS project will “zoom in” on specific objects, Kramer said, while Space Fence will take a wider-angle view to track a large number of objects in space. The facility will look at objects of interest and give analysts rich detail about the object and the threat it might pose.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Executive Vice President Rick Ambrose said in a statement ground-based SSA is a growing priority for government and commercial organizations around the world that need to protect their investments in space. Ambrose said though this agreement with EOS, Lockheed Martin will offer customers a clearer picture of objects that could endanger satellites and do so with great precision and cost-effectiveness.
EOS develops and produces a wide range of space-related technologies including telescopes and beam directors and is among the largest producers of major optical telescopes in the world. EOS operates the Space Research Centre, a satellite laser ranging and debris tracking facility, at Mt. Stromlo in the Australian Capital Territory.