Lockheed Martin’s Space Fence. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

[Via Satellite 08-26-2014] Lockheed Martin and Electro Optics Systems have agreed to build a space object tracking facility in Western Australia. Through the use of both lasers and sensitive, telescope-like optical systems, the companies plan to use the site for a combination of government and commercial customers.

Lockheed Martin anticipates electro-optical technologies will effectively complement the U.S. Air Force’s Space Fence, which the company has a $914.7 million five-year contract. The space fence, once complete, is expected to track approximately 200,000 objects, improving Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and reducing the risk of collisions.

The new joint Lockheed Martin-Electro Optics Systems facility will determine the composition, velocity and spin-rate of objects in space. Electro-optical technologies have the ability to hone in on specific objects to provide more detail than what can be achieved solely with radar-based systems.