BAE wins $60M contract for space radar support

BAE Systems has won a slew of contract modifications worth over $60 million to provide technical services in support of the U.S. Air Force Space Command’s large radar and telescope systems.

These systems are used for missile warning and space surveillance missions, and are able to detect and identify various man-made objects in space, like active or inactive satellites, rocket parts, and objects that enter the atmosphere, which is vitally important for missile defense operationsk, BAE said.

The work is also important for national security, communications and space research, said Gordon Eldridge, vice president and general manager of Aerospace Solutions at BAE Systems.

The systems BAE will support include:

The Solid State Phased Array Radar System that tracks around 10,000 objects orbiting Earth. BAE maintains the system from five different locations, making around 40,000 observations daily. By identifying and cataloging these orbiting objects, the system helps prevent them from colliding with satellites or the International Space Station. This contract extension for fiscal 2013 was worth $49 million.

The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System is similar to the Solid State Phased Array system, but is located at a single location—Cavalier Air Force Station, N.D. This contract extension for fiscal 2013 was worth $7 million.

The Ground-based Electro-optical Deep Space Surveillance System uses telescopes, low-light cameras and computers, instead of radars, to perform tracking and detection functions, similar to the other two systems. Unlike the other two, however, this system monitors objects in deep space—at about 3,000 miles from Earth, and beyond. This contract extension for fiscal 2013 was worth $5.5 million.