The Space Surveillance Telescope program (SST) is DARPA's ground based, advanced, optical system for detection and tracking of faint objects in space such as asteroids. It is also to be employed for space defense missions. The program is designed to advance, or expand, space situational awareness, and be able to quickly provide wide area search capability.
The large curved focal surface array sensors are considered to be an innovative design. It encompasses improvements in detection sensitivity, has short focal length, wide field of view, and improvements in step-and-settle abilities. SST detects, tracks, and can discern small, obscure objects, in deep space with a "wide field of view system". It is a single telescope with the dual abilities. First the telescope is sensitive enough to allow for detection, also, of small, dimly lit objects (low reflectivity). Second it is capable of quickly searching the visible sky. This combination is a difficult achievement in a single telescope design.
Tags:
Additional Info
- Lead Nation: USA
- Project Website: page on DARPA website
- Project Wikipedia Page: United_States_Space_Surveillance_Network#Space_Surveillance_Telescope_program
Latest from Copernical Team
- Simulations and supercomputing calculate one million cislunar orbits
- Antarctic ice feedback limits Southern Ocean carbon sink
- Rock microbes reveal hidden groundwater carbon engine
- NISAR radar view maps surface changes in Mississippi Delta
- NASA Libera payload completes testing for future Earth energy tracking mission
- DARPA taps Raytheon for new maritime defense system
- Lockheed ramps up THAAD interceptor output with new framework deal and Camden facility
- Space Force stands up SPACEFOR-NORTH for homeland mission
- KSAT rolls out AI driven maritime monitoring platform
- NASA Moon mission launch srubbed to March after test
