German experimental space surveillance and tracking radar even detects space debris; It certainly won’t overlook major threats.
According to military aviation reports, the unique GESTRA space surveillance system was recently commissioned and was able to detect more than 200 objects every 60 minutes during initial tests.
The German Experimental Space Surveillance and Tracking Radar (GESTRA) was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Technology (FHR) on behalf of the German Aerospace Center (NAZ). Its tests began in December 2023, but only now did scientists decide to share the results of the experiments.
As reported by the National Center, the GESTRA space radar is equipped with transmitting and receiving antennas, each consisting of 256 individual elements. Radar waves can form a tunable and phased array (a phased array antenna can direct radiation and create a pattern of this directionality by regulating the amplitude-phase distribution of currents or excitation fields on the radiating elements – ed.).
Important
“The transmitting antenna elements are driven by an extremely powerful amplifier, so the approximately 4 m long antenna has a very large total output power. The receiving antenna elements can be combined in real time using special processing units. This allows the two antennas to change direction in a few milliseconds can be viewed in,” the material says.
Additionally, radar antennas can be aligned mechanically using a rotating stand. A separate water cooling system for each antenna element increases the efficiency and increases the sensitivity of the entire system. As a result, GETRA can detect large airborne threats as well as even small objects such as space debris. The transmitter and receiver are housed in two separate containers, allowing them to be placed in different locations. This combination of mobility, digital technology and performance makes GETRA unique. The system was installed at the Schmidthöhe test site near Koblenz.
We have previously written that the US will create “smart” bombs called StormBreaker. The winged StormBreaker’s radar and infrared guidance can direct the missile to moving targets in darkness, rain, fog, smoke or dust.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.