European Space Surveillance
For the most part, the initial intent of space surveillance sensors in the US and USSR was to provide warning of a strategic missile attack. However, the rising number of satellites created a requirement to watch all satellites during their lifecy- cle, including launch and decay, in order not to confuse them with hostile missiles. Eventually, the space surveillance operations started to separate from missile defense operations with the increase of the military importance of space.
Both optical and radar systems are used as satellite tracking systems and they mostly use the latest and most expensive sensor technologies. Most optical sensors are dependent on re°ected sunlight or emitted infrared energy to track a satellite. Radars have the advantage of being able to track the target any time and uninterruptedly during cloudy conditions as compared to optical sensors.
Although ESA and European countries with space monitoring capabilities are strongly dependent on initial object and orbit information provided by USSPACECOM, European countries have the capability to track the Earth orbital environment up to and beyond GEO altitudes. Main coordination of the systems is done by the European Space Agency.
The ESA Space Debris Telescope, the French ROSACE/-TAROT system, and the UK PIMS sensors can detect GEO objects well below the stated USSPACECOM size threshold of 1 m in diameter. The GRAVES receiver at Apt, France; the FGAN Tracking & Imaging Radar (TIRA) at Wachtberg, Germany; Phased-array surveillance radar and tracking radars at Fylingdales, UK; Norwegian Globus II radar; British Radar at Fylingdales, UK; the French GRAVES system; the Chilbolton radar located in Winchester,UK and the European Incoherent Scatter Radar are some of the powerful radars that are used for space surveillance and early warning operations.
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