The US, Australia, and the UK has unveiled a plan to use powerful radars to detect and identify objects in outer space.
Three radar networks will be established in the US, UK, and Australia as part of the AUKUS security agreement to safeguard satellites and support space flight.
The Ministry of Defence states that the system will be able to characterize objects up to 22,000 miles away from Earth once the radars are completely operational by 2030.
That is far farther than the 250 miles that separate Earth and the International Space Station, yet it is still only 10% of the distance to the Moon.
Australia’s radar is scheduled to go online in 2026, while the UK’s radar, which is slated to be built at Cawdor Barracks in Pembrokeshire, should be operational by the end of the decade.
A British Army Signals Regiment currently stationed at Cawdor Barracks is scheduled to move out in 2028; however, final plans are pending approval from the local government and an environmental review.
According to the MoD, maintaining the DARC site might help the local economy by supplying labor throughout the construction phase and up to 100 long-term jobs.
The UK’s defense secretary, Grant Shapps, stated that as the globe “becomes more contested and the danger of space warfare increases,” the UK and its partners must maintain “advanced capabilities.”
This will aid the land, air, and marine forces and help to provide 24/7, all-weather use.
