GD wins subcontract from Lockheed for space fence work

General Dynamics C4 Systems SATCOM Technologies has won a subcontract from Lockheed Martin to help support the U.S. Air Force Space Fence program to track junk orbiting the Earth.

The company did not disclose the value of the subcontract. Lockheed Martin’s contract is valued at $910 million.

The Space Fence is a surveillance system that was built to detect orbiting objects passing over the United States.

Under the contract, General Dynamics will design and build the ground structures and integrate the mechanical systems for the fence. The new, advanced ground radar system will improve situational awareness and help avoid collisions that could damage the International Space Station, the company said in a release.

Construction is expected to begin mid-2015 on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.