US defence giant Lockheed Martin has struck a deal with an Australian technology firm to track space debris that can damage satellites. It has signed a "strategic co-operation agreement" with Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to build a new tracking station in Western Australia. The site will employ optical and laser technology to detect, track and identify space objects.
Debris threatens orbiting satellites daily and can cause millions in damage. "Ground-based space situational awareness is a growing priority for government and commercial organisations around the world that need to protect their investments in space," said Lockheed Martin Space Systems executive vice president Rick Ambrose in a statement.
"We’ll offer customers a clearer picture of the objects that could endanger their satellites, and do so with great precision and cost-effectiveness." (CIRCA 1989): This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) handout image shows a graphical representation of space debris in low Earth orbit. A graphical representation of space debris in low Earth orbit from NASA in 1989.
There is a lot more now. There are nearly 2,000 commercial and government satellites orbiting the Earth. However, they face up to 200 threats a day from debris as small as a fingernail given they are travelling at speeds of about 17,500 miles an hour.