Congress has mandated that NASA discover 90 percent of all near-Earth objects (NEOs) 140 meters in diameter or greater by 2020. In light of this goal, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has contracted XTAR LLC to provide X-band space segment for testing an experimental radar system of reflector antennas intended to track and characterize NEOs that could potentially impact Earth.
The Ka-Band Objects: Observation and Monitoring (KaBOOM) system is a phased array of separated antennas built near Florida’s Kennedy Space Center that improves detection and tracking of materials in Earth orbit. In addition, it will bolster cost-effective space situational awareness and address NASA and other agencies’ data collection and operational needs. The X-band capability, which XTAR will supply until Oct. 1, 2015, will join other components to assess the experimental alignment’s atmospheric compensation and uplink capabilities.
