L3 Harris wins $119 million Space Force contract to upgrade system that tracks deep space objects

L3Harris Technologies Inc., won a $119 million contract to upgrade the Ground-Based Electro Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) System which tracks deep space objects.

The work will focus on upgrading the Ground-Based Optical Sensor System. The Space and Missile Systems Center Directorate awarded the contract, according to the DoD.

Approximately 25,000 known man-made objects orbit the earth. These objects range from active payloads, such as weather monitoring satellites or Global Positioning System satellites, to “space junk” such as rocket bodies from previous satellite launches or debris from past satellite breakups.

This contract modification is to

  • complete the design for the integrated system;
  • develop and/or modify software required to support the system;
  • design and build new European and Pacific sites and add an additional sensor tower enclosure to the GEODSS White Sands Missile Range site;
  • upgrade and/or acquire, integrate, test and field the 12 GEODSS Enhanced Technology sensor towers; and
  • design, develop and/or acquire, integrate, test and field the three Advanced Technology Sensor towers.  

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