Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)
Abstract
The Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) program will develop and demonstrate an advanced ground-based optical system to enable detection and tracking of faint objects in space, while providing rapid, wide-area search capability. A major goal of the SST program is to develop the technology for large curved focal surface array sensors to enable an innovative telescope design combining high detection sensitivity, short focal length, wide field of view, and rapid step-and-settle to provide orders of magnitude improvements in space surveillance. This capability will enable ground-based detection of un-cued objects in deep space for purposes such as asteroid detection and space defense missions. The Air Force will participate in the DARPA funded developmental testing of SST and then take over operation of SST as a sensor in the Air Force Space Surveillance Network. An MOA has been established with Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) for transition. In addition, the program will investigate data fusion and advanced algorithms for correlation of unknown objects. SST is expected to generate a large number of uncorrelated targets (UCTs), and new methods will need to be employed to rapidly characterize and attribute the new objects. Furthermore, the program will investigate methods which combine observations from disparate sensors (such as optical and radar installations) to more rapidly, accurately, and completely provide knowledge about UCTs, as compared to the existing system where no data fusion is employed. Where appropriate, SST will investigate new concepts which would provide complementary or further advances in ground-based deep space object detection and characterization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2012
- Source ID
- 4266627fac2b64f781b8a28d5a307603