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Date Announced: 27 Nov 2012
GEODSS network uses powerful telescopes and low-light cameras to detect, track and report man-made objects in deep space.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BAE Systems has received a series of contract modifications, worth more than $60 million, from the U.S. Air Force Space Command to continue supporting large radar and telescope systems that are used for missile warning and space surveillance missions. The company provides a range of technical services, including round-the-clock operations and maintenance (O&M), to manage and sustain these critical assets.
The radar and telescope systems detect and identify various man-made objects in space, such as active or inactive satellites, rocket parts and other debris. The systems also track objects that may enter the atmosphere — information that is vital to missile defense operations.
“This work is important for national security, communications and space research,” said Gordon Eldridge, vice president and general manager of Aerospace Solutions at BAE Systems. “Our record of success on these programs also demonstrates our strong capabilities in facilities management and O&M for critical U.S. infrastructure assets.”
The Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) is a complex network of radars that tracks approximately 10,000 objects orbiting Earth. From five different locations, BAE Systems maintains the radars that make approximately 40,000 space observations each day.
The program identifies and catalogs the objects, and helps prevent them from colliding with satellites and the International Space Station. The company has been supporting SSPARS since 2006 and recently received a $49 million contract extension for fiscal year 2013. This work is conducted at Cape Cod Air Force Station, Massachusetts; Beale Air Force Base, California; Clear Air Force Station, Alaska; Thule Air Base, Greenland; and Royal Air Force Fylingdales, United Kingdom.
The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) is a similar radar located at Cavalier Air Force Station, North Dakota. It carries out many of the same missions as SSPARS. BAE Systems has been maintaining PARCS since 2003 and recently received a $7 million contract extension for fiscal year 2013.
The Ground-based Electro-optical Deep Space Surveillance System (GEODSS) is a network that uses powerful telescopes, low-light cameras and computers — instead of radars — to detect, track and report man-made objects in deep space. This program is primarily concerned with objects further from Earth, at about 3,000 miles and beyond. BAE Systems has been supporting GEODSS since 2009 and recently received a $5.5 million contract extension for fiscal year 2013. This work is conducted at Maui, Hawaii; Socorro, New Mexico; and the island of Diego Garcia.
All three of these contracts are issued by the 21st Space Wing, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Source: BAE Systems
E-mail: neil.franz@baesystems.com
Web Site: www.baesystems.com
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