[Satellite TODAY 01-31-11] The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon and Lockheed Martin contracts to design the Pentagon’s Space Fence, which will replace its 50-year-old VHF Space Surveillance System to detect space objects and debris in low-Earth orbit, the Air Force announced Jan. 28.
     Both companies were awarded an initial $20 million under the 18-month contract, with a potential $107 million in additional orders, the Air Force said. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have been working with Northrop Grumman on the Space Fence concept since June 2009.
     Lockheed Martin its prototype design would be based on its Aegis naval weapons S-band radar. Raytheon said it would focus on expanding the range of objects the system could track, including objects that threaten space shuttles and the International Space Station.