'Space fence' passes design review

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TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- A project to give the U.S. Air Force enhanced space surveillance capability for detecting and tracking space objects has passed its system design review.

The Raytheon Co. said the system design review of its "Space Fence" program included the prototyping of critical system elements to demonstrate increased technical and manufacturing readiness levels.

"As our nation's defense becomes increasingly more dependent on the space domain, a system like Space Fence will be a critical component in the space surveillance network, tracking tens of thousands of objects daily," said David Gulla, vice president, National & Theater Security Programs for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "This successful SDR and prototyping clearly demonstrates the readiness of our design to support the Air Force's needs with an affordable solution."

The Space Fence program is a multiphase acquisition leading to the delivery of up to three globally positioned S-band radars capable of inter-operation with the space surveillance network. The system will ensure there are no gaps in capability as current systems in the network reach the end of their life spans, the company said.