Statistical Approach to the Operational Testing of Space Fence

November, 2016
IDA document: D-5541
FFRDC: Systems and Analyses Center
Type: Documents , Space
Division: Operational Evaluation Division
Authors:

Authors

Daniel L. Pechkis, Nelson S. Pacheco, tye W. Botting See more authors

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The United States is acquiring a new terrestrial space-directed radar system to detect, track, and catalog space objects, including the growing population of space debris (“space junk”). The new system will consist of two S-band (2- to 4-GHz) phased-array radar sites, located at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and one other location to be determined. The radars will autonomously perform cued and uncued surveillance, as well as cued searches for objects in low- and medium-Earth orbits and higher. Space Fence will provide object tracking and radar characterization data to the U.S. Air Force Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) to support Satellite Catalog (SATCAT) maintenance and other space situational awareness needs.