Image of the S3TSR transmitter and receiver systems. (European Space Agency)
Indra has signed a contract with the German Armed Forces' procurement office (BAAINBw) to provide the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) with a space surveillance radar, the company said in a 10 February press release.
The radar will be an “improved version” of the Spanish Space Surveillance and Tracking Surveillance Radar (S3TSR) currently operating with the Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD), according to Indra. It will keep satellites safe from space debris.
The purchase of the radar is part of a German programme called LEO- Ground based Upscaled AESA RaDar (L-Guard). This is part of the Space Surveillance system (SysWRĂśbw). The radar itself will be operated by the German Space Command (WRKdoBw) via the space situational awareness centre (WRLageZ).
The S3TSR is a low Earth orbit (LEO) surveillance radar operating from 200 to 2,000 km in altitude, according to the Spanish MoD. The data collected by the radar is catalogued with calculations made around the trajectories of various objects. The radar is integrated into the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership consortium (EU-SST), which is tasked with providing detailed information on space debris and satellites.
According to Indra, the new space radar will also protect satellites from attempts by other satellites to gather information or put their operations at risk.
For more information, please seeSpain's space surveillance centre to reach FOC in 2025andIndra, Centum partner to build space surveillance radar for India .
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