Space Surveillance Telescope

Space Surveillance Telescope
Space Surveillance Telescope
Alternative namesSST Edit this at Wikidata
Location(s)Exmouth, Western Australia, AUS
Coordinates21°53′44″S 114°05′24″E / 21.89566938°S 114.08989072°E / -21.89566938; 114.08989072 Edit this at Wikidata
Observatory code P07 Edit this on Wikidata
First light2011, 2020 Edit this on Wikidata
Telescope styleoptical telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Space Surveillance Telescope is located in Australia
Space Surveillance Telescope
Location of Space Surveillance Telescope
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The Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) is a Southern Hemisphere-based United States Space Force telescope used for detecting, tracking, and cataloguing satellites, near-Earth objects, and space debris.[1]

In 2011, SST achieved first light at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, United States. In 2017, the SST was dismantled and moved to the Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station, Exmouth, Western Australia[2][3] to a site with an altitude of around 65 metres (213 ft). From there it began observing the Southern Celestial Hemisphere and collecting data for the US Space Surveillance Network. The repositioned SST achieved first light in Australia on March 5, 2020.[4] The SST entered initial operational capability on October 4, 2022 [5] and is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force, 1 Remote Sensor Unit under the command and control (C2) of the U.S. Space Force.[3][6][7][8]

  1. ^ https://www.spacebasedelta1.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/2286483/space-delta-2-space-domain-awareness-sda/ [bare URL]
  2. ^ "U.S. Air Force takes control of the Space Surveillance Telescope ahead of Australian move". Digital Trends. 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2018-01-27.
  3. ^ a b Erwin, Sandra (2020-04-23). "U.S. Space Force deploying surveillance telescope in Australia". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  4. ^ "The Space Surveillance Telescope in Western Australia captures its first image | MIT Lincoln Laboratory". www.ll.mit.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  5. ^ "US Space Force's new telescope will detect and track faint objects in deep space". 4 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Exmouth telescope facility takes next step". The West Australian. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  7. ^ "CASG takes over space surveillance telescope - Australian Defence Magazine". www.australiandefence.com.au. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  8. ^ Defence, Department of (2021-07-07). "Keeping an eye on space traffic". news.defence.gov.au. Retrieved 2021-08-19.