Air Force Space Surveillance System

(Redirected from Naval Space Surveillance System) U.S. government radar system to detect orbital objects

The AN/FPS-133 Air Force Space Surveillance System, colloquially known as the Space Fence, was a U.S. government multistatic radar system built to detect orbital objects passing over America. It is a component of the U.S. space surveillance network, and according to the U.S. Navy was able to detect basketball sized (75 cm (30 in)) objects at heights up to 30,000 km (19,000 mi).

The system ceased operation in September 2013. Plans for a new space fence began with sites at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, along with an option for another radar site in Western Australia. It became operational on March 28, 2020.

The operation's headquarters were at Dahlgren, Virginia, and radar stations were spread out across the continental United States at roughly the level of the 33rd parallel north.

Description

There were three transmitter sites in the system:

216.983 MHz at Lake Kickapoo, Texas (33°32′47″N 98°45′46″W / 33.54639°N 98.76278°W / 33.54639; -98.76278) (Master transmitter)
216.970 MHz at Gila River, Arizona (33°06′32″N 112°01′45″W / 33.10889°N 112.02917°W / 33.10889; -112.02917)
216.990 MHz at Jordan Lake, Alabama (32°39′33″N 86°15′52″W / 32.65917°N 86.26444°W / 32.65917; -86.26444)

The master transmitter at Lake Kickapoo was said to be the most powerful continuous wave (CW) station in the world, at 768 kW radiated power on 216.97927 MHz.

When the system became operational in 1961, the original frequency was 108.50 MHz (just above the FM broadcast band). In 1965, the "Fence" system was modernized with the operating frequency doubled to 216.98 MHz (just above Channel 13 in the VHF TV broadcast band) to obtain higher resolution and to locate smaller objects. This frequency was used until the Fence was decommissioned in 2013. Fill-in transmitter sites at Gila River and Jordan Lake used offset frequencies listed above from the early 1990s to 2013 to help better detect which transmitter "illuminated" an object in space, as multiple transmitters could have illuminated the same object at the same time. Overhead imagery (see coordinates given above) of the Gila River and Jordan Lake sites shows the original design at the lower frequency.

There were six receiving stations:

The following receiving stations were placed in cold storage in April 2013:

The receiving stations at Elephant Butte and Hawkinsville were considered to be "High Altitude" stations with longer and more complex antenna systems that are designed to see targets at higher altitudes than the other four receiving stations.

History

Author Curtis Peebles notes that the original "Space Fence" or Space Surveillance System began operations in 1959. The system predated the formation of NORAD and was known as the U.S. Navy Space Surveillance System (or SPASUR or NAVSPASUR). From 1960 until the early 1990s the system was used in conjunction with a network of Baker-Nunn cameras that could see "an object the size of a basketball at 25,000 mi (40,000 km)".

The system was formerly operated by the U.S. Navy for NORAD from 1961 until October 2004. Initially independent as NAVSPASUR, it was run by Naval Space Command from 1993, and finally by Naval Network and Space Operations Command from 2002 until command was passed to the U.S. Air Force 20th Space Control Squadron on 1 October 2004.

In 2009, the operations and maintenance contract for the day-to-day management and operation of the Fence was awarded to Five Rivers Services, LLC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On 30 September 2011, Five Rivers Services was awarded a US$7,022,503 firm fixed price with cost reimbursable line items contract modification to manage, operate, maintain, and logistically support the nine Air Force Space Surveillance System field stations, presumably for Fiscal Year 2012.

Plans for system upgrade: 2009 — 2012

The 850th Electronic Systems Group, Electronic Systems Center awarded 3 US$30-million contracts to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies on 11 June 2009.

A new Space Fence is envisioned to be a system of two or three S-band ground-based radars designed to perform uncued detection, tracking and accurate measurement of orbiting space objects. The Space Fence is intended to replace the Air Force Space Surveillance System, or VHF Fence, that was transferred from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Air Force in 2004. The shorter wavelength of the S-band Space Fence allows for detection of much smaller satellites and debris.

The 10 February 2009, collision of a U.S. Iridium communications satellite (Iridium 33) and a Russian Cosmos 2251 communications satellite, which added hundreds more pieces of debris to the atmosphere, highlighted the need for more precise tracking of space objects.

Data collected from a new Space Fence's sensors would potentially feed into the Joint Space Operations Center Mission System, which is used to track objects orbiting the Earth, monitor space weather and assess foreign launches. Used by operators at the 614th Air and Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the 614 AOC's 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week support provides vigilance of global and theater operations and equips the Joint Functional Component Command for space operations with the tools to conduct command and control of space forces.

Plans to award the final contract had been stalled by U.S. budget sequestration in early 2013 and the AFSSS system was scheduled to be discontinued in October 2013 due to budget cuts.

2013 Shutdown

On 1 August 2013, General William L. Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, directed that the Air Force Space Surveillance System (AFSSS) be closed and all sites vacated effective 1 October 2013. The main advantage of the system was its ability to provide uncued data on new objects as opposed to tracking objects based on existing information. However, the system was also said to be inherently inaccurate due to its dated design. Alternate operating modes for radars at Cavalier Space Force Station and Eglin AFB were devised to fulfill the mission to provide uncued data for new objects. Shelton also noted the confusion between the planned new S-band space fence and the old UHF AFSSS, which was commonly called the "space fence". The AFSSS was turned off September first. "It appears they pulled the plug at 00:00 UTC (6 a.m. Local MDT) on September 1st", reports engineer Stan Nelson, who was monitoring the radar using an antenna in Roswell. The radar's final echoes came from a Russian satellite and a sporadic meteor". The shutdown only affects the original Space Fence, not the new one contracted to be built by Lockheed Martin for deployment in Australia and the Marshall Islands.

New space fence

A new space fence at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands was declared operational on March 27, 2020. In 2014 Lockheed Martin won the contract to build the new S band space fence system at Kwajelein with an option for another radar site in Western Australia.

References

^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Wagner, Gary R. (24 October 2004). "Navy Transfers Space Surveillance Mission to Air Force". Navy NewsStand. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ Clark, Stephen (2 June 2014). "Lockheed Martin wins contract for Space Fence". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
Erwin, Sandra (28 March 2020). "Space Fence surveillance Radar Site Declared Operational". Retrieved 29 March 2020.
^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "47CFR§2.106 Footnote US229". Access GPO.gov. Retrieved 24 May 2006.
^ Peebles, Curtis (1 June 1997). High Frontier: The U.S. Air Force and the Military Space Program. DIANE Publishing. pp. 39–. ISBN 978-0-7881-4800-2.
"U.S. Naval Space Command Space Surveillance System". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
"Hill AFB Repairs Cameras that Spy on Satellites". The Deseret News. 23 March 1977. p. 2D. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Contracts, Defense Logistics Agency, No: 838-11". Defense.gov. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^ This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Morales, Monica D. (30 July 2009). "Space Fence program awards contracts for concept development". USAF News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
"Orbital Collision was the Worst Ever". Aviation Week. 11 February 2009. (article behind paywall)
Ewalt, David M. (17 July 2013). "Budget Cuts Threaten The Air Force's New "Space Fence"". Forbes. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Air Force Space Command to discontinue space surveillance system". USAF News. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
Gruss, Mike (6 August 2013). "Shelton Orders Shutdown of Space Fence". spacenews.com. SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Air Force Space Command to discontinue space surveillance system". 13 August 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
"Technology: U.S. "Space Fence" Shut Down". American Radio Relay League. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
"Space Fence Discontinued". spaceweather.com. SpaceWeather. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
"Space Debris & Space Fence - Tracking Space Debris". lockheed-martin.com.au. Lockheed Martin. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
"Space News". 28 March 2020.

External links

Air Force uses invisible fence to protect skies - an article about the Gila River, Arizona installation - InMaricopa Magazine, March 10, 2012
20th Space Control Squadron, Det 1 - Air Force Fact sheet about the Alternate Space Control Center and the AN/FPS-133 surveillance fence radar
US Naval Space Command Space Surveillance System at the FAS website
Rural site part of USA's oldest sat-tracking system from USA Today
Tattnall Space Surveillance Station shut down due to sequestration, April 18, 2013, Ronald E. McCall, The Tatnall Journal
Naval Space Command - Maxwell-Gunter AFB
http://www.fiveriversservices.com/ - former contractor for AFSSS

Equipment of the United States Air Force

Ground
systems

C2	AN/USQ-163 Falconer AN/GSQ-272 Sentinel
Ground vehicle	HMMWV LSSV R-5 Refueler R-9 Refueler R-11 Refueler C300

Munitions

Bomb	Mk-82 Mk-84 GBU-8 GBU-10 Paveway II GBU-12 Paveway II GBU-15 GBU-24 Paveway III GBU-27 Paveway III GBU-28 GBU-31, GB-32, GB-38 JDAM GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb GBU-44/B Viper Strike GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II GBU-54 Laser JDAM GBU-72 CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition CBU-89 Gator CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon BLU-109 bomb BLU-116 Bunker Buster B61 nuclear bomb B83 nuclear bomb
Gun	GAU-8 Avenger M61 Vulcan GAU-12 GAU-13 GAU-19 M240 L/60 Bofors M102 howitzer GAU-23/A M2 Browning M134 Minigun
Missile	AIM-7 Sparrow AIM-9 Sidewinder LGM-30G Minuteman III AGM-65 Maverick AGM-84 Harpoon AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile - Expanded Response AGM-86 ALCM AGM-88 HARM AGM-114 Hellfire AIM-120 AMRAAM AGM-130 Powered Standoff Weapon AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon AGM-158 JASSM AGM-176 Griffin Zuni rocket
Target	BQM-34 Firebee BQM-167 Subscale Aerial Target MQM-107 Streaker QF-16 Aerial Target

Small arms

Sidearm/PDW	M11 Pistol M9 Pistol M17 Pistol MP5 submachine gun USAF Pilot's Survival Knife
Rifle/carbine	GUU-5/P Carbine M4 carbine M14 Stand-off Munitions Disruptor (SMUD) M16A2 Rifle M24 sniper weapon system M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle Mk 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle
Support/CQB	M60 machine gun M2HB Browning machine gun M240B Medium Machine Gun M249 light machine gun M1014 shotgun Remington 870 MCS shotgun
Ordnance	M136 AT4 Light Anti-tank Weapon M18A1 Claymore Mine M67 Fragmentation Grenade M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW) M79 grenade launcher MK-19 automatic grenade launcher

Uniforms and
other equipment

Airman Battle Uniform
Army Combat Uniform
Flight Suit
Physical Training Uniform
Service Dress Uniform
Mess dress
CMU – 33A/P22P-18

v t e United States Air Force system numbers
100–199	100 101 P 102 103 104 105 106 107 A-1 A-2 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 L M 118 A L P 119 C/F E L T Y 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 A B 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143–197 198 199 B C D Y
200–299	200 201 A/L B/W E 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 A G 223 224 225 226 227–238 239 240–278 279 280–298 299
300–399	300 301 302 303 304 305 306 A/L B 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 A-1 A-2 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 L M/N 325 326 327 E 328 E 329 F 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338–379 380 A/B/E/F/N P 381–397 398 399 A B
400–499	400 B/C/N E G/H M 401 402 403 404 405 B C D 406 407 408 409 410 E L 411 E L 412 413 414 L M 415 416 L M (I) M (II) P Q 417 418 L M 419 420 L/W 421 422 423 424 425 426 L M 427 L M 428 A L 429 430 431 G (I) G (II) 432 433 434 435 A L 436 437 438 439 440 441 A D L 442 443 444 445 L M 446 447 448 449 450 451 D L 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 L 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 L (I) L (II) 472 473 474 L N 475 476 E 477 478 A T 479 480 481 L 482 E L M/Z 483 484 L M N 485 L Z 486 487 488 489 490 L M 491 492 493 494 495 L (I) L (II) 496 497 A L (I) L 498 A C D E L 499 A C D
500–599	500 501–519 520 521–529 530 531–541 542 543–549 550 A E 551–559 560 A F 561–569 570 571–579 580 A E 581–589 590 591 592 593–599
600–699	600 601 A L 602 A L 603 A L 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 A/B (I) B (II) 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 A B 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 A D P 649 A B C D E F L P 650 651 652 653 654 655 A (I) A (II) P 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 A (I) A (II) 666 A C/P 667 668 669 670 671 672 A M/P 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 D E 682 683 A J V 684 685 686 687 J P 688 689 690 691 C X Z 692 693 694 695 A B C L N P Q R S (I) S (II) 696 697 698 699
700–799	700–735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746–753 754 755–799
800–899	800 801 802 L (I) L (II) 803 804 805 806 807 808–816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824–831 832 833 834 835–845 846 847–899
900–999	900–951 952 853 854 855 956 957–967 968
Unknown or not assigned

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