MISSION
DEL 2/OL-B serves as a liaison synchronizing operations between DEL 2 and the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) No. 1 Space Surveillance Unit (1 SSU). OL-B advises DEL 2 leadership on system status and coordinates US support of 1 SSU’s space missions. Facilitating communication between 1 SSU and U.S. organizations, OL-B integrates 1 SSU in exercises, training events, and non-traditional operations.
FEATURES
Australian Defence Force (ADF) No. 1 Space Surveillance Unit (1 SSU) – The first joint space unit of the Australian Defence Force, 1 SSU is responsible for remotely operating the C-Band radar and Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) installed at Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt (HEH) in Exmouth, Western Australia. Collectively, these systems provide a space domain awareness (SDA) capability, allowing tracking of space assets and debris.
SST – A one-of-a kind asset, this is the “fastest” search telescope ever designed to discover very dim objects in GEO and beyond. Weighing ~100 tons, it is machine re-positioned for GEO images every ~9 seconds. To achieve this, the SST optical design is very compact. It is the world’s only large SDA telescope with f/# = 1 and one of the most steeply curved 3.6m primary mirrors ever made.
C-Band Radar – The Holt C-Band radar in Australia is a dedicated Space Domain Awareness sensor providing southern hemisphere coverage of low to medium earth orbits for catalog maintenance, narrowband (NB) space object identification (SOI), and support for special events (i.e., space launches, satellite breakups, and maneuvers). Wideband SOI capability is projected for late-2023.
HISTORY
OL-B – Established to facilitate the operationalization of the C-Band Radar and the SST at HEH following the 2010 US/Australia agreement. With both assets operationally accepted, OL-B is looking forward to the potential of Australian DARC and GEODSS sites.
SST – A DARPA funded project developed by MIT LL as a Mersenne-Schmidt (3-mirror) open optical telescope design, SST was transferred to USAF/AFSPC in 2016. SSC/ECZG, as acquisition lead, partnered with Australian Wide Area and Space Surveillance Space Acquisition Program Office to relocate SST from White Sands Missile Range to land adjacent to HEH. Disassembly began Mar 2017 with the first piece installed in an Australian purpose-built facility in Jan 2019; assembly was completed Dec 2019, “First Light” was achieved 5 Mar 2020, and SST was operationally accepted 14 Sep 2022.
C-Band Radar – Previously located at Antigua Air Station, Antigua, West Indies, the primary mission of the legacy radar was to provide telemetry and radar tracking data to support space launches out of the Eastern Range. On 14 November 2012 the US Secretary of Defense and the Australian Minister of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing both governments to sharing project costs to bring the C-Band Radar to Australia. Upon relocation to HEH in Australia, the AN/FPS 134 radar received hardware and software upgrades to provide the SDA mission capability.
LOCATION:
OL-B is located at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia within 1 SSU. The C-Band radar and SST are physically located near Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt in Exmouth, Western Australia.
(Current as of Dec. 2023)