The U.S. Space Force’s deep-space radar recently achieved a major testing milestone, successfully tracking multiple satellites in orbit using seven antennas from a site in Australia.
The system, known as the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), is being developed by Northrop Grumman to detect and monitor activity in geosynchronous orbit — from space debris to hostile movements that could threaten U.S. or allied satellites. The ground-based radar is scheduled to be fully operational by 2027 and is the first of three radars being built as part of a partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom to enhance situational awareness in orbit.
The recent demonstration was part of DARC’s integration and testing phase. Ultimately, the radar will use 27 parabolic antennas for its deep-space tracking. Kevin Giammo, Northrop’s director of space surveillance and environmental intelligence, told Defense News that being able to operate a subset of antennas demonstrates that the design is robust and ready for scaling.
“Each parabolic dish has some capability on its own, but when you can make them work together as an array, you are effectively creating a very large radar with tremendous capabilities,” Giammo said. As the program progresses through testing, the number of antennas in use will increase, making observations more accurate and persistent.
In parallel with the development of the first DARC radar, Northrop has started work on the second system, which will be based in the United Kingdom. The company received a $200 million contract for DARC 2 last year.
The Space Force is currently coordinating with the U.K. government on environmental assessments and other pre-construction processes. Giammo noted that completion of these steps will determine Northrop’s production and delivery schedule.
“We will work to optimize when different activities are executed based on the progress of government-to-government coordination,” he said. “Much work is already underway, but there is certainly more to come.”
Northrop will leverage much of the work from the first radar as it builds the second — and eventually the third — system. Giammo added that there may be some design differences between the radars, and the company is working with the Space Force to define the necessary changes for the U.K. radar.
“They are deploying similar sites in different locations, so some uniqueness is always expected,” he said.
While the Space Force’s fiscal 2026 base budget request does not include funding for DARC, the service has indicated it plans to use $281 million from Congress’ $150 billion reconciliation bill for the project.
