Space Rapid Capabilities Office to put radars on satellites to warn of space-bound threats

The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) intends to award two vendors contracts by the end of the year to demonstrate that Space Force satellites can be equipped with small, inexpensive on-board radar systems to warn of potential threats from nearby satellites.

While small — worth $3 million each for 24 months — the planned awards are part of a larger effort to promote what the SpRCO calls real-time “own-ship awareness” for US national security satellites.

At a time when threats to US satellites from Chinese and Russian counter-space capabilities are growing, Pentagon officials widely have acknowledged that the current system for keeping eyes on the heavens and finding space-based threats is no longer fit for purpose, with improvements at the top of the priority list for both the Space Force and US Space Command.

Read more at Breaking Defense