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.
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
- Week in images: 09-13 June 2025
- Media invitation: Register for MTG-S1 and Copernicus Sentinel-4 pre-launch briefings
- NASA's Ready-to-Use Dataset Details Land Motion Across North America
- ULA's retired Delta IV launch tower demolished as SpaceX eyes Cape Canaveral site for Starship
- Earth from Space: East Kalimantan, Borneo
- Belgian endive, meatballs and microgravity
- Discover the New Era of Online Pokies in Australia 2025
- European Space Agency looks to non-US partners
- Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary
- 334th ESA Council: Media information session