In Western Australia's far northwest, close to Exmouth, is where the new AUKUS space complex is being constructed

 In Western Australia's far northwest, close to Exmouth, is where the new AUKUS space complex is being constructed

 In Western Australia's far northwest, close to Exmouth, is where the new AUKUS space complex is being constructed

AUKUS is building a high-tech facility off the extreme north-west coast of Western Australia to enhance "deep-space object tracking" in anticipation of satellite-based warfare in the future, which is a growing area of concern for military worldwide. has been.

important details

A new ground-based radar of the US-led Deep Space Advanced Radar capabilities is stationed at the Exmouth site.

DARC will "detect, track, and identify objects in deep space," according to a release.

To detect objects in low Earth orbit, the US has already invested $2.25 billion in a "Space Fence" surveillance radar network.

The US-led Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) initiative is building a new ground-based radar at the site close to Exmouth; development is now ongoing.

The Western Australian facility is still under construction, but according to sources with knowledge of it, it will be a major asset when combined with a variety of other current worldwide sensors from the business sector. It will also cover a large amount of land.

According to the ABC, Australia will contribute almost $2 billion over the course of 20 years to the DARC program in order to run and maintain the WA facility.

The US Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) won a $510 million contract to US military business Northrop Grumman in February of last year to develop, test, and deploy the DARC system for space domain awareness.

The US Air Force began the DARC program in 2017 and has since invested $2.25 billion on a "Space Fence" radar network for surveillance purposes, allowing it to detect objects in low Earth orbit (LEO).

DARC will monitor objects in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), improving both the multitude of commercial sensors coming into the market from various vendors and the existing sensor facilities like the Space Fence facility in the Marshall Islands.

The defense ministers of the AUKUS said over the weekend that they were "accelerating capabilities that provide modern technology to trilateral partners for recognizing emerging threats in space".

In a joint statement with his US and UK colleagues, Lloyd Austin as well as Grant Shapps, Defense Secretary Richard Marles said that "AUKUS played an essential role in furthering bilateral cooperation on the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme."

As per the announcement, DARC will provide "global coverage to detect, track, and identify objects in deep space and enhance space domain awareness, continuously and throughout the day."

"This skill will support appropriate space use, safety, and security. The locations will be in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom."

Because China and Russia are stationing more sophisticated military equipment in orbit, space is seen as a military realm that is becoming more and more disputed and a source of escalating geopolitical conflict.

AUKUS partners anticipate that the first Exmouth radar station will be online in 2026, and by the end of the decade, additional sites in the US and the UK will also start to operate.

While the precise cost and scale of the Exmouth site, as well as the number of ADF soldiers who will work there, are still unknown to the public, the first indication of Australia's participation in the DARC program surfaced at a US Congressional hearing earlier this year.

Australia's contribution was disclosed by US Air Force Assistant Secretary for Space Development and Integration Frank Calvelli and USSF General David D. Thompson during their May appearance before the US Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

"We are adding three new radar sites (United States, Australia, as well as United Kingdom) with Deep Space Advanced Radar functionality to enhance our deep-space object tracking," he said in his application.

USSF Chief General John W. "Jay" Raymond and US Consul David Gainer traveled to the Western Australian city of Exmouth in March of last year to see firsthand the two nations' space cooperation initiatives.

"Western Australia's space capabilities, along with our numerous partnerships in Exmouth, where Americans and Australians collaborate to benefit our people and our region, continue to impress the United States," Mr. Gainer said at the time.

The Department of Defense has not replied to inquiries from the ABC on specific concerns regarding Australian employees at the DARC site in Exmouth.