Prototype Space Fence Now Tracking Actual Orbital Debris

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.'"

Holy Junk!

[Niscenus]

That summary ignores we already have that!

It only sounds interesting if you A) Don't know that we've had that capability since NORAD tracked Sputnik with similar projects done by every major space administration on Earth, or B) Didn't bother reading the infrastructure proposed.

And now, the troll that has a joke for, "Holy Junk!"

Re:It's called a "fence" because it's bistatic rad

[radionerd]

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/ [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 :-)

Space superiority.

[MrQuacker]

We will soon reach a point where not having such predictive capabilities will doom any launched vehicle to a debris collision. Its interesting to think that such a program provides so much space superiority over other nations.