Air Force Space Surveillance System
Encyclopedia
Multistatic radar
A multistatic radar system contains multiple spatially diverse monostatic radar or bistatic radar components with a shared area of coverage. An important distinction systems based on these individual radar geometries is the added requirement for some level of data fusion to take place between...
system that detects orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
al objects passing over America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a component of the US space surveillance network
United States Space Surveillance Network
The United States Space Surveillance Network is a critical part of United States Strategic Command's mission and involves detecting, tracking, cataloging and identifying artificial objects orbiting Earth, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentation debris...
, and is claimed to be able to detect objects as small as 10 cm (four inches) at heights up to 30,000 km (15,000 nautical miles.) Although formerly operated by the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and known as NAVSPASUR (short for "Naval Space Surveillance"), command passed to the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
20th Space Control Squadron
20th Space Control Squadron
The United States Air Force's 20th Space Control Squadron is a space control unit located at Eglin AFB, Florida.-Mission:The mission of the 20th Space Control Squadron is to detect, track, identify, and report near earth and deep space objects in earth's orbit, and provide space object...
on October 1, 2004. The operation's headquarters are at Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
, and radar stations are spread out across the continental United States at roughly the level of the 33rd parallel north
33rd parallel north
The 33rd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 33 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean....
.
There are three transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
sites in the system:
- 216.983 MHz at Lake Kickapoo, TexasLake KickapooLake Kickapoo is a reservoir in Archer County, Texas. Created in 1947. It has a surface area of . Named after the Kickapoo tribe native to the area....
(33°32′47"N 98°45′46"W) (Master transmitter) - 216.97 MHz at Gila River, ArizonaMaricopa, Arizona-Surrounding Municipalities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 43,482 people, 14,359 households, and 11,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.8 people per square mile . There were 17,240 housing units at an average density of 540.4 per square mile...
(33°06′32"N 112°01′45"W) - 216.99 MHz at Jordan Lake, AlabamaWetumpka, AlabamaWetumpka is a city in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,726.The city is the county seat of Elmore County, one of the fastest growing counties in the state....
(32°39′33"N 86°15′52"W).
The master transmitter at Lake Kickapoo
Lake Kickapoo
Lake Kickapoo is a reservoir in Archer County, Texas. Created in 1947. It has a surface area of . Named after the Kickapoo tribe native to the area....
is said to be the most powerful continuous wave
Continuous wave
A continuous wave or continuous waveform is an electromagnetic wave of constant amplitude and frequency; and in mathematical analysis, of infinite duration. Continuous wave is also the name given to an early method of radio transmission, in which a carrier wave is switched on and off...
(CW) station in the world, at 768 kW radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
on 216.97927 MHz. Overhead imagery (see coordinates given above) of the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
and Jordan Lake
Jordan Lake
B. Everett Jordan Lake is a reservoir located west of Raleigh and south of Durham in Chatham County, North Carolina, in the United States of America. The northernmost end of the lake actually reaches into southwestern Durham County...
sites suggests that the original design called for antennas of twice the present length with, presumably, greater radiated power.
There are 6 receiving stations:
- San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
(32°34′42"N 116°58′11"W) - Elephant Butte, New MexicoElephant Butte, New MexicoElephant Butte is a city in Sierra County, New Mexico, United States, near Elephant Butte Reservoir and State Park. The population was 1,390 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elephant Butte is located at ....
(33°26′35"N 106°59′50"W) - Red River, ArkansasLewisville, ArkansasLewisville is a city in Lafayette County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Lafayette County.-Geography:Lewisville is located at ....
(33°19′48"N 93°33′01"W) - Silver Lake, MississippiHollandale, MississippiHollandale is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated in 1890 and almost totally destroyed by fire in February 1904.-Geography:...
(33°08′42"N 91°01′16"W) - Hawkinsville, GeorgiaHawkinsville, GeorgiaHawkinsville is a city in Pulaski County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,487 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Hawkinsville is located at ....
(32°17′20"N 83°32′10"W) - Tattnall, GeorgiaTattnall County, GeorgiaTattnall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 22,305. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 23,179...
(32°02′35"N 81°55′21"W).
The receiving stations at Elephant Butte and Hawkinsville are considered to be "High Altitude" stations with longer and more complex antenna systems that are designed to see targets at higher altitudes than the other four receiving stations.
In 2009, the operations and maintenance contract for the day-to-day management and operation of the Fence was awarded to Five Rivers Services, LLC
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
, based out of Colorado Springs, CO. On September 30, 2011, Five Rivers Services was awarded a $7,022,503 firm fixed price with cost reimbursable line items contract modification to manage, operate, maintain, and logistically support the nine Air Force Space Surveillance System field stations, presumably for Fiscal Year 2012.
Space Fence Program Awards contracts for Concept Development
- 850th Electronic Systems Group, Electronic Systems CenterElectronic Systems CenterElectronic Systems Center is a product center of Air Force Materiel Command headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Its mission is to develop and acquire command and control, communications, computer, and intelligence systems. ESC consists of professional teams specializing in...
awarded 3 $30-million contracts to Lockheed MartinLockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, Northrop GrummanNorthrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
and RaytheonRaytheonRaytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
on 11 June 2009.
- The Space Fence is envisaged to be a system of two or three S-band ground-based radars designed to perform uncued detection, tracking and accurate measurement of orbiting space objects. The Space Fence is intended to replace the Air Force Space Surveillance System, or VHF Fence, that was transferred from the NavyNavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
to the Air ForceAir forceAn air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
in 2004. The shorter wavelengthWavelengthIn physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a...
of the S-band Space Fence allows for detection of much smaller satelliteSatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
s and debrisSpace debrisSpace debris, also known as orbital debris, space junk, and space waste, is the collection of objects in orbit around Earth that were created by humans but no longer serve any useful purpose. These objects consist of everything from spent rocket stages and defunct satellites to erosion, explosion...
.
- The February 10th, 2009, collision of a U.S. Iridium communications satelliteIridium satellite constellationThe Iridium satellite constellation is a large group of satellites providing voice and data coverage to satellite phones, pagers and integrated transceivers over Earth's entire surface. Iridium Communications Inc...
(Iridium 33Iridium 33Iridium 33 was a U.S. Iridium communications satellite. It was launched into low Earth orbit from Site 81/23 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 01:36 GMT on 14 September 1997, by a Proton-K carrier rocket with a Block DM2 upper stage...
) and a RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Cosmos 2251 communications satellite, which added hundreds more pieces of debris to the atmosphereAtmosphereAn atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
, highlighted the need for more precise tracking of space objects.
- Data collected from the Space Fence's sensors would potentially feed into the Joint Space Operations CenterJoint Space Operations CenterJoint Space Operations Center is a command and control weapon system focused on planning and executing US Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space mission...
Mission System, which is used to track objects orbiting the EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, monitor space weatherSpace weatherSpace weather is the concept of changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space or thespace from the Sun's atmosphere to the Earth's atmosphere. It is distinct from the concept ofweather within the Earth's planetary atmosphere...
and assess foreign launches. Used by operators at the 614th Air and Space Operations Center614th Air and Space Operations CenterThe 614th Air and Space Operations Center is a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air Force / The 614th Air and Space Operations Center (614 AOC) is a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air Force / The 614th Air and Space Operations Center (614 AOC) is a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air...
at Vandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, Calif.CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 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.
External links
- 20th Space Control Squadron, Det 1 - Air Force Fact sheet about the Alternate Space Control Center and the AN/FPS-133 surveillance fence radar
- US Naval Space Command Space Surveillance System at the FASFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
website - Rural site part of USA's oldest sat-tracking system from USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
- Naval Space Command - Maxwell-Gunter AFB
- http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/COLLIDE021109.xml&headline=Orbital%20Collision%20Was%20The%20Worst%20Ever&channel=space&gclid=CI7MrZu22JgCFQUWGgodnSEscw
- http://www.fiveriversservices.com/
- http://spaceweatherradio.com/index.php (Listen Live)