The US authorities intend to build a giant radar in the UK designed to track objects in deep space. It should become part of the US Space Force's global radar system capable of identifying potential targets at a distance of up to 36 thousand kilometers from Earth, that is, in areas of space where many military satellites are located.
Other parts of this system are planned to appear in the US state of Texas and Australia.
The UK Department of Defense said the new radar could “make space safer.” However, in recent years, fears have grown that there is less and less space in space for new objects, and competition is growing. Some even talk about a space arms race.
The United States and Britain are accusing Russia and China of developing weapons that can be used against satellites.
Last year alone, more than a thousand satellites were launched into space, ten of which were sent into orbit by the US military.
Plans to create a new radar, officially called Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), are being developed at the US Space and Rocket Systems Center.
- Britain and the United States announced the test of space weapons by Russia
- The United States launched a secret military spaceplane into orbit
- Astronomers complain about satellites. They spoil the view of the stars
The California-based center was visited last week by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who arrived in the United States with a British military delegation. The British also attended talks with the space company SpaceX, led by Elon Musk.
US Space Force Lieutenant Colonel Jack Walker told the BBC that the US is consulting with Britain about the deployment of radars “likely in Scotland or closer to the south of the country.” According to Walker, the facility will have “about 10-15 parabolic antennas [that is, large satellite dishes] for tracking and four to six for transmission.” The dishes can stand for about a kilometer, and the diameter of each satellite dish will be 15 meters.
According to Walker, the task of the new system will be “to identify and track targets that could potentially pose a threat to our critical resources.” “It can come from China or Russia, be directed against satellites. Or it can be space debris,” says a spokesman for the US space forces.
“Dark corners of space”
The US already has an early warning system capable of detecting ballistic missiles in space. Its part is located at the British Air Force Filingdales base in the north of Yorkshire. However, the radars at this classified facility can detect targets at a distance of no more than 20 thousand kilometers.
Filingdales Base
The new DARC system will be able to “look” much further. Walker assures that it will provide data on objects the size of a soccer ball, located at a distance of up to 36 thousand kilometers from Earth.
During a trip to the United States, British Air Force Chief of Staff Michael Wigston explained that “Britain is trying to understand what is happening in the dark corners of space.” According to him, this is due to the fact that competition in space is growing, and more and more various objects appear there.
Wigston believes that the fate of the next military conflict can be decided in outer space.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has pledged to publish the government's space strategy this fall. He noted that space is becoming an increasingly dangerous environment, so the UK is obliged to protect its main strategic facilities.
Wallace insists, however, that “lasers from Star Wars or Moon Rider [a 1979 science fiction film about the space adventures of James Bond] should not be expected in space.”
British doctrine will be directed “not to cause destruction in space, but to protect and defend space.”
“These new radar capabilities will make space safer, they will help protect our satellite systems by identifying and tracking objects,” a Defense Department official said. “We are exploring the possibilities of our cooperation with the United States on the DARC issue, and so far these discussions are going on in a positive key “.