Driving Innovation: Depth Routing Processes—Achieving Unparalleled Precision in Complex PCBs
It's Only Common Sense: The Evolution of Prospecting
Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company'
Northrop Grumman Integrates Multiple Antennas to Track Satellites in First-Time USSF DARC Demo
August 19, 2025 | Northrop GrummanEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Northrop Grumman Corporation and U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) successfully combined the capability of multiple ground-based antennas at DARC Site 1 in Western Australia, demonstrating technology that will create the world’s most capable deep-space tracking radar system.
DARC’s calibrated antenna arrays operated as a single system to successfully characterize the movement of multiple satellites and demonstrate the effectiveness of the system’s precision radar tracking technology. This is a significant step forward as the system progresses towards Site 1’s completion and operational capability.
During its demonstration, DARC successfully:
- Utilized seven of the 27 antennas at DARC Site 1, bringing the program a significant step closer to full capability.
- Demonstrated mission-enabling technology capable of tracking spacecraft that present potential threats to space assets or the U.S. homeland and allies.
- Sustained a multi-week campaign of data collection, analysis, and adjustment to confirm successful calibration and operational capability.
DARC is a partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, designed to create an all-weather, global system to track very small objects in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) to protect critical U.S. and allied satellite services. Once complete, DARC will track the movement of objects in, to, and from GEO with the highest precision, an effective and critical capability for threat detection and mitigation. By leveraging a unique design consisting of multiple ground-based antennas operating together as one, DARC provides unmatched capabilities to enable the USSF’s Space Domain Awareness mission.
Expert:
Kevin Giammo, director, Space Surveillance and Environmental Intelligence, Northrop Grumman: “Northrop Grumman’s DARC will provide a strategic advantage at a scale never before achieved in global space domain awareness. Its ability to track multiple small moving objects over 22,000 miles above earth will offer unmatched persistent and comprehensive capability as the world’s premier deep-space radar tracking system.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
Honeywell-Led Consortium Receives UK Government Funding to Revolutionize Aerospace Manufacturing
09/02/2025 | HoneywellA consortium led by Honeywell has received UK Government funding for a project that aims to revolutionize how critical aerospace technologies are manufactured in the UK through the use of AI and additive manufacturing.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/29/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This week, we bring you Global Electronics Association’s Chris Mitchell’s government relations column on—you guessed it—trade deals. TTM is balancing its facilities between East and West. The Global Electronics Association released July numbers for North American PCB shipments, and the news is good. Meanwhile, the corresponding report for EMS might seem like bad news, but that’s misleading. Be sure to look deeper for the rest of the story. Finally, for a bit space-science palate cleansing, I’m sharing news of the latest launch of NASA’s X-37B.
Boeing-built X-37B Spaceplane Launches, Beginning Eighth Mission
08/26/2025 | BoeingThe Boeing-built X 37B Orbital Test Vehicle launched its eighth mission, lifting off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The vehicle is healthy on orbit and proceeding with standard checkout.
TI Semiconductors Enable Advanced Earth-observation Capabilities of ISRO’s First-of-its-kind NISAR Mission
08/25/2025 | Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments (TI) semiconductors are enabling the radar imaging and scientific exploration payloads for the NASA-Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) satellite, which was recently launched into orbit.
Rocket Lab Announces Expanded U.S. Investments for National Security Programs and Semiconductor Manufacturing
08/25/2025 | BUSINESS WIRERocket Lab Corporation, a global leader in launch services and space systems, announced it is boosting its U.S. investments to expand semiconductor manufacturing capacity and provide supply chain security for space-grade solar cells and electro-optical sensors for national security space missions.