Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability - DARC

The United States Space Force (USSF), Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Space Domain Awareness Division, Special Programs Ground Based (SMC/SPG) initiated a new program for a deep-space ground-based radar system under USSF responsibility. The FY02022 request for Space Force included funding for deep space advanced radar capability increases by $90 million to detect, track, and maintain custody of deep space objects.

Space Domain Awareness (SDA) is one of five core competencies of the Space Force and is the effective identification, characterization, and understanding of any factor, passive or active, associated with the space domain that could affect space operations and thereby impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the country. As the foundation for space control, SDA encompasses surveillance of all space objects and activities; detailed surveillance of specific space assets; monitoring space environmental conditions; monitoring cooperative space assets; gathering indications and warning on adversary space operations; and conducting integrated command, control, communications, processing, analysis, dissemination, and archiving activities.

Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC, not Direct Access Radar Channel, nor the Defense Acquisition Regulatory Council) is a ground-based, SDA radar system to detect, track, and maintain custody of deep space objects 24/7, through the solar exclusion gap. DARC will augment the SSN as an additional sensor with increased capacity and capability for deep space object custody, providing full global coverage.

The process of observing satellites in geosynchronous (GEO) orbits is routinely accomplished with ground and space-based sensors. During the equinoxes, the position of the Sun prevents many of these Space Situational Awareness (SSA) resources from accomplishing their mission – a solar exclusion gap. Most sensors cannot view targets with the Sun in, or near the field of view. They have significant gaps in coverage due to their inability to observe orbital regions located in between the sensor and the Sun – the solar exclusion region.

The highly-advanced Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) transmit and receive arrays are capable of a multitude of missions crucial to monitoring, tracking, and reporting objects of interest in space, capability that will fill critical gaps in the ground-based element of the Space Domain Awareness architecture enterprise. Site surveys performed in the U.S., U.K. and Australia confirmed that these locations are optimally positioned to provide full coverages of the GEO. All three sites are expected to be operational by the end of the decade.

With all of the space debris and objects now populating Earth orbit, the DARC tracking radar will use existing technologies to detect small space objects or satellites quickly and with highly precise orbital information. If a collision threatens a satellite system, the operator will be alerted and have time to maneuver away from oncoming debris. DARC will also identify adversarial threats that have the potential to disrupt/deny civil and military space services.

DARC offers higher sensitivity, better accuracy, increased capacity and more agile tracking than current radars capable of tracking objects in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit. Its ability to provide global monitoring extends beyond inclement weather and daylight, which are limitations of current ground-based optical systems. The capability will also be used to protect the essential services that rely on satellites and communication from space, including everyday aspects of modern life such as mobile phones and TV.

Space Systems Command (SSC), headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for developing and acquiring lethal and resilient space capabilities for warfighters by rapidly identifying, prototyping, fielding and sustaining innovative, space-based solutions to meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy. SSC’s functions include developmental testing, production, launch, on-orbit checkout, and maintenance of USSF space systems, as well as and oversight of USSF science and technology activities.

Space Systems Command is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for rapidly identifying, prototyping and fielding resilient space capabilities for joint warfighters. SSC delivers sustainable joint space warfighting capabilities to defend the nation and its allies while disrupting adversaries in the contested space domain. SSC mission areas include launch acquisition and operations; space domain awareness; positioning, navigation and timing; missile warning; satellite communication; and cross-mission ground, command and control and data.

Space acquisition must respond with speed and agility to emerging adversary threats. Space Systems Command (SSC) has transformed the organization and implementation of space acquisition to an enterprise approach, to increase innovation and resiliency, leveraging international, commercial, and mission partnerships, and managing program/project priorities according to an integrated unclassified/classified enterprise space architecture. Expanding the appropriate acquisition authorities and contract mechanisms to deliver capability sooner, SSC will strategically execute experimentation, prototyping, risk reduction, and other efforts to develop new or repurpose existing capabilities.

Project utilizes existing DoD engineering and study contracts and activities to conduct science and technology development and data analysis activities. Preliminary/ critical design effort for the technology maturation and prototype commenced in FY 2017. A Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) was used to award seven Integrated System Engineering Team (ISET) contracts which allow for organizations to participate, advise the government, and gain insight into the prototype design and build.

In May of 2019, DARC was designated as an MTA under Section 804 of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In 2020, DARC was directed to pursue a Rapid Prototyping Middle Tier Acquisition program for Site 1. The DARC Site effort will be executed through two separate contract elements: The Prime System Integrator (PSI) was awarded to Northrop Grunnman Inc. via a single, competitive award through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement and third-party software development through multiple SpEC OTA agreements.

The total cost of the DARC Rapid Prototype Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) effort is $844.6 million. As of March 2023 DARC Site 1 was not fully funded across the Future Years Defense Program. The Department of the Air Force was assessing all options to address the funding shortfalls for MTA programs including additional funding in a future budget request, performance trades based on technical maturity, or transition to alternative pathways.

The DARC MTA activity will develop, test, and deliver one DARC site with a current estimated completion date of CY 2025. It will also provide a foundation for up to two more future sites located strategically around the world to provide global deep space radar capability to support SDA. The system will be responsive to regularly scheduled and un-scheduled tasks to locate, identify, characterize deep space objects and report the results to Battle Management Command and Control locations and SSN.

The US wants to locate a giant new radar system in the UK to track objects in deep space. Other sites would include Texas and Australia. Each site would house from 10 to 15 parabolic antenna (large satellite dishes) for tracking and four to six for transmitting and cover an area of about 1km square. It would be able to detect an object the size of a football up to 36,000km (22,400 miles) away.

A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson told BBC: "This new radar capability has the potential to make space safer and more secure, helping to protect our satellite system by tracking and monitoring objects. "We are exploring our potential partnership with the USA on DARC and discussions so far have been positive."

DARC will provide an affordable, capable, sensitive, & scalable next generation dedicated deep space (GEO) radar capability. It increases ability to detect, track, identify and characterize objects in deep space. DARC Technical Demonstration, underway at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), is on schedule and began risk reduction testing for DARC Program in October 2020.

Deep Space Advanced Radar Concept (DARC) will leverage ongoing defense science and technology efforts to mature radar concepts and technologies to develop and evaluate prototypes that demonstrate increased sensitivity, capacity, search rates, and scalability to detect, track and maintain custody of objects in deep space orbit. This effort will analyze and select the most promising technologies to move forward into system development and /or operations; eventually creating a program of record (PoR). DARC will augment the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) as an additional sensor with increased capacity and capability for deep space object custody at Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).

The current and future space domain demands that space systems be responsive to new and changing threats, and can rapidly integrate new capabilities to make warfighting force more resilient in a contested battlespace. This agility, survivability, and rapid reconstitution must extend through the entire space warfighting enterprise, to include how we learn about the threat; develop solutions; acquire, test, deploy, train, operate and integrate new systems into the greater system of systems; and ensure our space mission force is ready to defeat a thinking adversary in a complex, multi-domain battlespace. The enterprise will use all of its elements to accelerate decision-making, prototype potential solutions, rapidly integrate decision-making tools and sustain a war-winning capability by delivering multi-domain effects in, from, and through space and cyberspace enabling battle management and resilience options to "fight through."

This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver the DARC weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 1206392F and 1206398F. The FY2019 funding request was reduced by $10.000M to account for the availability of prior year execution balances. This program is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P) because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.

Project utilizes existing DoD engineering and study contracts and activities to conduct science and technology development and data analysis activities. Preliminary/ critical design effort commenced in FY 2017. Broad agency announcement forms DARC Integrated Systems Engineering Team (ISET). Following CDR down-selects, DARC prototype build, test & determination will occur. DARC PoR will be a full and open industry competition.

In FY 2018 the program awarded DARC Prototype design contracts to three developers. Conduct design through critical design review (CDR). Post CDR, use a pre-established set of down-select criteria and select one Developer to build the DARC Prototype radar. Award DARC Prototype build contract. Purchase antennas, prepare to bed down receivers and transmitters assets at the DARC Prototype site on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). Award Integrated Systems Engineering Team (ISET) contracts to industry based on FY17 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) competition conducted by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Continue AFRL oversight of the DARC Prototype build and initial infrastructure at the WSMR site. Develop software phase/timing software for the DARC receive and transmit subsystems. Continue program office support and other activities that may include, but are not limited to studies, technical analysis, etc

At the 26 March 2019 Air Force Review Board (AFRB), SAF/AQ designated the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) as a Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) activity under the 2016 NDAA Section 804 procedures. DARC Program Office will leverage the Johns Hopkins University Advanced Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) design and expertise gained from the DARC Technical Demonstration (DARC-TD) activity at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), allow for innovation, and will result in a streamlined Initial Operating Capability (IOC).

The DARC program Middle-Tier Acquisition (MTA) pathway to include Rapid Prototyping followed by Rapid Fielding, and is expected to provide 24/7, all-weather capabilities that increases the ability to detect, track, identify and characterize objects in deep space. DARC offers higher sensitivity, better accuracy, increased capacity, and more agile tracking than current radars capable of tracking objects at geosynchronous earth orbit altitudes. The 24/7 all-weather capability and higher radar power at geostationary orbit is an advantage over current radar and optical sensors. DARC offers the ability to track launches to geosynchronous orbit altitudes. If fielded, the program requires three permanent, geographically dispersed sites, of which the locations are yet to be determined.

The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) program management team hosted an Industry Day Conference and One-on-One meetings on 16 - 17 March 2020. This initial Industry Day Conference will provide interested parties an overview of the DARC Government Reference Architecture (GRA), program history, initial requirements, potential acquisition strategies, tentative program schedule, and small business and Public Private Partnership (PPP) objectives.

The United States Space Force, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Special Programs Directorate, Space Domain Awareness Division (SMC/SPG), hereby announced 14 April 2021 that the DARC Acquisition will be procured as an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) through SMC’s Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC).

Publicity surround DARC elicited a surprisingly aharp response from Beijing. An unsigned editorial [that is, representing official Communist Party of China policy] 18 July 2021 in Global Times stated "It is a significant escalation that has the potential to further change the direction of global military competition. The head of the Royal Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston, has bluntly predicted the next war could be won or lost in space. The primary purpose of the US and its allies in developing DARC is obviously to prepare for winning a war and to deter China and Russia.... China and Russia must strongly oppose the US' efforts to extend the military competition among major powers into space and oppose its attempts to construct DARC with its allies. China and Russia need to expose the US' shameless practice to further develop space warfare capabilities by hyping the so-called space threat from China and Russia. If the US adheres to such moves, China and Russia should take countermeasures, in a bid to strategically frustrate the US' ambitious plan.

"... it is much more difficult for the US to achieve hegemony in space than that on land and at sea. If the US dares to attack the space assets of China and Russia, the two countries can inflict the same loss on the US. Washington cannot develop the ability to unilaterally occupy outer space and close it to China and Russia. ... by deploying DARC, the US can expand its lead in SSA [space situational awareness]. It will reinforce the impression that it "controls everything" through hegemony, consolidate its allies' confidence, and make vacillating countries and forces further yield to it.

"The US vision to build DARC has particularly sounded the alarm for China. China's space launch capabilities are getting stronger, and the country is increasing the frequency of its various space activities including efforts on a space station. The US is openly threatening the safety of these activities of China, speeding up the pace of constructing infrastructure and building certain capabilities to dominate the future space order. China must accelerate the building of its space counterattack capability and form a stronger deterrent to the US, in an attempt to resolutely suppress any impulse of the US to provoke a space conflict."

The Space Force intends to develop and field two additional DARC sites in the future to culminate in a final operational system of three global sites to ensure SDA coverage. A follow-on acquisition pathway strategy based on the success of the Site 1 rapid prototype and an MTA transition plan are being developed for Sites 2 and 3 in accordance with DoDI 5000.80.

The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) program successfully tested their Technology Demonstrator (DARC-TD) in December 2021 at White Sands Missile Range. The exercise was a preliminary test by Space Systems Command’s Enterprise Corps and Special Programs Ground Radar portfolio to ensure that the technology inherent in the system is in a state of readiness and could be successfully used in a new application.

The WSMR demonstration involved a small-scale version of the envisioned system, complete with similar hardware, and was used to broadcast a signal at specific test objects in space. DARC-TD will be used for additional research to buy down risk associated with fielding the DARC system. The success of this test has brought the United States Space Force one step closer to making this technology a reality for the warfighte.

“The success of the DARC-TD was a significant step in building confidence for this radar technology and allowed our program office to release a Request for Prototype Proposal through the Space Enterprise Consortium to quickly deliver the first DARC site,” said Greg Carr, Enterprise Corps Space Domain Awareness Division, Special Programs Directorate's Rapid Reaction branch manager for Space Systems Command. “Building out a global DARC system, while working with our closest allies, ensures the ability to detect, track, identify, and characterize objects in geosynchronous orbit to protect and defend our most valued space assets against adversarial action.”

Space Systems Command (SSC) on 22 February 2022 awarded a cost plus incentive fee prototype agreement for the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) for $341M to Northrop Grumman Corporation through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Other Transaction Authority . The DARC Site 1 is an approved Middle-Tier Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototype to provide 24/7 all-weather capabilities that increases the ability to detect, track, identify and characterize objects in deep space.

“Partnering with Northrop Grumman on DARC Site 1 is a crucial first step in building out a global system to ensure the ability to detect, track, identify, and characterize objects in Geosynchronous orbit (GEO) to protect and defend our most valued space assets against adversarial action. DARC is a testament to our ‘Allied by Design’ approach where working in close collaboration and cooperation with our closest allies will produce a mutually beneficial partnership,” said Lt. Col. Kelly Greiner, materiel leader, Ground Radar Portfolio, Space Systems Command Space Enterprise Special Programs Directorate. DARC is a ground-based radar system consisting of three geographically separated sites around the world that deliver deep-space satellite tracking and custody capabilities, provides an advantage over current radar and optical sensors, fills critical gaps, and significantly enhances current Space Domain Awareness capabilities.

The initial DARC Site 1 Operational Leave-behind Capability is currently scheduled for September 2025.

FY 2023 plans continue Site 1 design and development activities including design reviews, hardware purchases, software development and integration, and construction. Complete Site 1 EA. Complete final Facility Design Review (90%) and Critical Design Review. Purchase, install and check out hardware including, but not limited to, the antennas, transmitters, receiver hardware, and associated processing, cabling, communications subsystems. Begin construction of Site 1 including roads, buildings, utilities, foundations, and installation of all antenna structures. Perform additional site development efforts such as the construction of facility-support and site infrastructure to include backup generator buildings, fuel storage (tank farms), electrical substations for power site distribution, wastewater treatment/septic & leach, non-potable water storage / fire protection distribution (site & buildings), water treatment (potable) and physical security equipment to meet protection level 3 (PL3) requirements.

Finalize plans for and begin implementing physical security for Site 1, to include any required equipment such as site perimeter fencing, and standalone fencing for both antenna arrays and site main power station to meet site safety requirements. Begin preparation for and install of fiber optics (COMM) as well as connection to existing and/or new infrastructure such as power grid, backup generators, and main water line. Complete purchases for all long-lead facility equipment for Site 1 as rapidly as possible in order to minimize schedule, these will have been initiated in parallel with completing required EAs.

Additionally, FY 2023 funding will allow the program to continue implementing system resiliency and situational awareness necessary to operate in the contested space domain. Activities may include, but are not limited to: studies, technical analysis, risk reduction experiments and prototyping, integration and test of command and control (C2), resiliency measures and mission partner interfaces, space test/combat range events, and office support etc.

The United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced 02 December 2023 a trilateral initiative called the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2023. The new program is designed to provide 24/7, all-weather capabilities that will increase the ability to detect, track, identify and characterize objects in deep space. The memorandum of understanding between the three countries will last 22 years.

“The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability will leverage the geography of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom to further enhance our collective space domain awareness: the ability to track, identify and characterize space objects. Space domain awareness is foundational to responsible space operations, and it is essential for responding to activity in space, whether that activity is routine or hostile,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Dr. John Plumb.

“As the space domain rapidly evolves, we must continue taking deliberate steps to ensure our collective ability to operate safely, and our nations are uniquely positioned to provide that capability on a global scale,” said U.S. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman. “As the world becomes more contested and the danger of space warfare increases, the U.K. and our allies must ensure we have the advanced capabilities we need to keep our nations safe,” U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said. “Today’s announcement of a global radar network (DARC), based across the U.K., U.S. and Australia, will do just that, empowering the U.K. to detect, track and identify objects in deep space.”

“From its Australian site, the DARC will integrate with other DARC sites in the United States and the United Kingdom. This will provide a space domain awareness capability to deter nations from undertaking activities that are against Australia’s interests by providing continuous global detection and observation of satellites in space,” said Australian Lt. Gen. John Frewen, Chief of Joint Capabilities. “Working with our AUKUS partners continues to deliver advanced military capabilities contributing to a safe, more secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”

"AUKUS has accelerated the delivery of the DARC initiative, and DARC will improve interoperability between the AUKUS partners, a key priority of the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Program, termed "Pillar II," is a bold, generational opportunity for AUKUS to harness and uplift our innovation enterprises and industries, remove barriers to cooperation and together develop advanced capabilities for our warfighters."

FY 2024 saw the transfer of DARC effort to PE 1206425SF, Space Situation Awareness Systems, Project 656565, Ground Based SDA.