Northrop Grumman awarded US Space Force contract for Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $341 million contract by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to develop, test and deliver a Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) in support of its Space Domain Awareness mission.

“The DARC program will field a resilient ground-based radar providing our nation with significantly enhanced space domain awareness for geostationary orbit,” said Pablo Pezzimenti, vice president, integrated national systems, Northrop Grumman. “While current ground-based systems operate at night and can be impacted by weather conditions, DARC will provide an all-weather, 24/7 capability to monitor the highly dynamic and rapidly evolving geosynchronous orbital environment critical to national and global security.”

DARC will augment the military’s space surveillance network as an additional sensor with increased capacity and capability to monitor deep space objects and eventually provide full global coverage. The initial DARC contract includes the design, development and delivery of a Site 1 system located in the Indo-Pacific region, expected to be completed in 2025. There will be a follow-on of two additional sites strategically placed around the world.