14 DAY TRIAL // In a bid to increase its space situational awareness, the United States is currently testing a new and improved version of the decades-old VHF Fence, called Space Fence. The asset is capable of tracking a large number of small pieces of space junk clogging Earth's orbits.
Every time a rocket is launched into space, it produces debris that accumulate in relatively stable orbits around the plane. This has been the case of decades, so we know have hundreds of thousands of pieces of garbage in space, which come in all shapes and sizes.
At first, the situation is manageable, but now things are getting desperate. Already, the International Space Station (ISS) needs to perform several Debris Avoidance Maneuvers each year, and the situation will only worsen with time.
Things are made even more serious by the fact that debris constantly interact with each other, crashing into thousands of smaller pieces, and going on to repeat the process. In fact, astronomers say that we may witness the triggering of a cascade effect in low-Earth orbit at any time.
For decades, the US Air Force (USAF) Surveillance System (VHF Fence) has kept an eye on several orbits, tracking as many as 20,000 pieces of space junk at any given time. Though impressive, this ability is no longer enough, Universe Today reports.
Its successor, Space Fence, is currently undergoing a series of tests meant to assess its performances.
“The current system has the ability to track about 20,000 objects, but there millions of objects out there, many of which are not being tracked. Space Fence will find and catalog smaller objects than what are not being tracked now,” says Chip Eschenfelde, a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin Corp.
The backbone of the new system is an array of ground-based S-band radars, which are capable of detecting more space debris than VHF Fence. In addition, the devices can pick up the signature of much smaller pieces of space junk. This capability could prove invaluable for protecting the ISS.
The world also relies on its massive satellite network for a wide array of applications. If harm comes to communication, tracking, weather, positioning or military satellites, the consequences could be devastating for our civilization.
“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,” Space Fence program vice president Steve Bruce says.
