Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Prototype Space Fence Now Tracking Actual Orbital Debris

Posted by Soulskill on from the neither-a-fence-nor-in-space dept.

coondoggie writes "Lockheed Martin says the prototype system it is developing to track all manner of space debris is now tracking actual orbiting space objects. The Space Fence prototype includes new ground-based radars and other technologies to enhance the way the U.S. detects, tracks, measures and catalogs orbiting objects and space debris with improved accuracy, better timeliness and increased surveillance coverage. 'Space Fence will detect, track and catalog over 200,000 orbiting objects and help transform space situational awareness from being reactive to predictive. The Air Force will have more time to anticipate events potentially impacting space assets and missions. Our net-centric design approach allows Space Fence to be easily integrated into the broader U.S. Space Surveillance Network of sensors already operated by the Air Force.'"

3 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. It was their 2nd choice. by yogidog98 · · Score: 5, Funny

    MPAA ruled out their first choice, so they use the closest synonyms they could find:
    Sky->Space, Net->Fence.

  2. It's called a "fence" because it's bistatic radar by Animats · · Score: 5, Informative

    This "fence" system, like some earlier fence systems, is called that because it's a bistatic (or multistatic) radar. The transmitters and receivers are at different locations, and the transmitted beam is not steered. Targets are located by time differences between what's received at multiple receivers. The previous system had three transmitter sites and six receiver sites, spread across the US.

    Fence systems are somewhat specialized, but a good way to find everything that crosses the fence volume. Once the RF gear is in place, it's mostly a processing problem. Unlike regular radars, there's no useful information without correlating multiple receiving stations.

  3. Re:It's called a "fence" because it's bistatic rad by radionerd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually, it's the current, working system. Space Weather has a nice link to a receiver that lets you listen to the echos from stuff flying through the fence http://spaceweatherradio.com/ Or you can do it your self....If you're within several hundred miles of Lake Kickapoo, Texas, and have a receiver that can hear 216.98 MHz, you can hear the echos of things flying through the fence... Big fun if you're a radio nerd :-)