The University of Arizona has signed a three-year, $8.6 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Space Force to develop a new imaging system that will advance space domain awareness, or SDA – the ability to monitor and understand objects and activity in space.
The Strategic Space Technology Institute for Ultra-High-Resolution Imaging at Millimeter Wavelengths, or SURe, will expand a network of ground-based antennae, or radio telescopes, and improved data analysis methods to detect and image satellites in orbit around the Earth.
“For decades, the University of Arizona has redefined how we explore the farthest reaches of space – from mapping the moon and Mars to helping capture the first image of a black hole,” said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president for research and partnerships. “Now, in partnership with the U.S. Space Force, we are applying those same world-class capabilities closer to home. We are adapting our astronomical tools used for studying distant objects to enable observations of the dynamic environment of satellites orbiting the Earth. We are delivering unprecedented clarity in support of national security. This effort shows that our legacy of discovery is not only about exploration – it is essential to the nation’s safety and long-term strategic strength.”
High-tech eyes on objects in orbit
The number of satellites in orbit around the Earth is rapidly growing, said Christopher Walker, U of A astronomy professor and director of the SURe project. Thousands more satellites are expected to be launched into space by 2030, exacerbating congestion, the potential for collisions and competition that can endanger other spacecraft and human spaceflight and pose national security threats in various orbits between Earth and the moon.
Low Earth orbit, or LEO, encompasses Earth-centered orbits with an altitude below 1,200 miles and is the area in which the International Space Station resides. Medium-Eart orbit, or MEO, stretches from about 1,243 to 22,236 miles above sea level and is commonly used for navigation systems, including GPS. Geosynchronous orbit, or GEO, is a very high orbit that is ideal for certain kinds of communication satellites and meteorological satellites. Objects orbiting in GEO travel at the same rate and direction as the Earth’s spin on its axis…