Raytheon awarded contract to develop 'Space Fence'

The U.S. Air Force has awarded USD$30 million contracts to defense technology specialists Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to create the prototype of Phase A of a new situational awareness network dubbed "Space Fence". The Space Fence system will enable the Air Force to better detect, report and track very small objects in low Earth orbit. Replacing the current VHF Air Force Space Surveillance System built in 1961, the new Space Fence will detect thousands of pieces of "space debris" as well as commercial and military satellites in low and medium earth orbit.

www.gizmag.com...

I am shocked that it hasn't been upgraded till now.
Or that is what they want us to believe

reply to post by Merlinhoot


only 30 million ya i would say cover story especially since raytheon has so many government classified projects they would have no issue with being part of a cover story

Thirty million? They can't even build a small airport for that. Makes me thing of Austin powers and Dr. Evil...

...hmmm...'yes, we will build a 'space fence' for....thirty MILLLLLLLLION DOLllars...ok....with frickin lasers..'

Do they expect us to believe they haven't changed that system since 1961. Puhleaze.

I think the spin doctors haven't been keeping up with inflation...thirty mill won't even get all those guys in the same room for a cup of coffeee.

My guess is that someone is getting close ( a couple years) to making sense out of something they did quote a while back, so they're creating the cover story.

Originally posted by KSPigpen

My guess is that someone is getting close ( a couple years) to making sense out of something they did quote a while back, so they're creating the cover story.

Any guess or thoughts to what that might be? This is however only phase A. Once passed phase A there will probably be more money appropriated to them. I don't however think this is a good idea based on some information I've been reading up about Dr. Von Braun and some certain comments he is said to have stated and conveyed. Maybe it's to keep visitors out?

30 million for a price tag? Were they the lowest bidder? Was this even a 'bid' type contract?

I thought we already had ground based radar systems capable of this kind of accuracy, but I guess I was wrong.

Seems almost unbelievable that we have been relying on this technology since 1961.

Good find!

The U.S. Air Force has awarded USD$30 million contracts to defense technology specialists Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to create the prototype of Phase A of a new situational awareness network dubbed "Space Fence". The Space Fence system will enable the Air Force to better detect, report and track very small objects in low Earth orbit. Replacing the current VHF Air Force Space Surveillance System built in 1961, the new Space Fence will detect thousands of pieces of "space debris" as well as commercial and military satellites in low and medium earth orbit.

Very small objects AKA UFOs?

I like the name...

[edit on 22/7/09 by dmorgan]

Ok. A space fence. I got a visual that I shouldn't have. Somehow I imagined goatfarts running amok through space that must be rounded up and hemmed in before they could cause total anarchy. Sorry.

Basically its a brand new tracking system with all the bells and whistles, instant global access to anywhere, anytime kind of thing.

Yes! This is nice. Once again America rocks.

The whole space program was about getting orbital supremacy early in the game, not about some looney tune Moon shot. That was the cover for pumping tons of money into the near-Earth program.

reply to post by Merlinhoot



30 million was just start up costs I guess actual are going to run 3.5 billion. Just awarded 107 million each to Rayethon and Lockheed Martin to begin work. I think I am going to be ill...

Found this in the MSNBC News/ Cosmic Log Section today. My thoughts are...

a) It took them long enough and
b) Who approves the costs of this?

cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com...

The space-junk alerts that have been sounded on the International Space Station over the past couple of weeks highlight the need for the “Space Fence,” a next-generation system for tracking orbital debris that’s due to begin operation in 2015.

One of the alerts, on June 28, came so late that the station didn't have time to get out of the way. The six astronauts living aboard the orbital outpost had to take shelter in Russian Soyuz lifeboats while debris of unknown origin zoomed past at a distance of just 850 feet (260 meters).

Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are in competition for the Space Fence contract, and in February, the U.S. Air Force provided each company with a $107 milllion, 18-month design contract. The designs are to get a preliminary review next February, with the contract awarded a year from now. The first of three planned globe-girdling radar installations is to be in operation in 2015, and the Space Fence should be fully operational in 2020. The favored sites for the installations are in Australia, the Marshall Islands and Ascension Island.

$3.5 billion may sound like a lot to pay for an invisible fence. But when you consider that the space station alone is a $100 billion-plus investment that needs to last until at least 2020 ... well, it just seems to me that they can't build that fence fast enough.

Meanwhile we are fighting over a debt ceiling? And spending on Medicare and SS?
Who is kidding who here?

Is this 3.5 billion coming from a slush fund somewhere?
Do you remember anyone mentioning this was the plan and the budget?
Show me the money?
Here is the money. These are our taxes.
Meanwhile what we are probably actually buying from Lockheed and Rayethon is nothing...

The Emperors New Clothes.

reply to post by Merlinhoot



S&F btw here are a couple of videos I found.

I definitely think someone should start a new thread (3.5 BILLION allocated for a SPACE FENCE)
since there is only this and one other I found (very old) in a search. This is news again.... or finally.
cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com...