Race to technically colonize our planet has crossed the Kármán line, an imaginary boundary between earth and outer space at an altitude of 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles or 62 miles) from the mean sea level. This space-earth border is defined by the Fédération aéronautique international (FAI), because no international law addressed this demarcation. There are many horizons where we have to put controls in action to protect our sovereignty. A country needs its land and air defense systems intact as well as protecting economic and social boundaries. Cyber warfare has become the bottleneck in protecting most precious asset of any organization, the data. There is no bee line to success except we have to excel in every aspect of modern world technology. The defense sphere has been extended beyond the atmosphere of this blue planet. Now we have to protect our assets not only from land and air but beyond the edge of space too.
Latest surveillance and reconnaissance systems are hovering over us 24/7, watching every move we do, every path we take. The LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites are a great and easy way to do spy operations. Satellites in LEO hang from 200 to 2000KMs, an easy orbit to do watchdog job with greater control. Low communication delays and close proximity to Earth moreover easy to launch in respective orbits make them suitable for remote sensing and surveillance. This had begun already decades ago during cold war era, and it has become more aggressive and penetrated into deep space. In an earlier article I have mentioned the satellite-war between China and USA in which Chinese satellite followed the American spy satellite.
To protect the space horizon, we need a two-pronged approach, the land part and the space part, former needs a scanning equipment to keep an eye on every spy bird flying over our territory and later needs our own birds (satellites) watching for any ill-mind. Land part includes a scanning device, most of the time a Radar system to check any intruder with bad intentions. Bad intentions can be any of like imagery of strategic sites, potentially vulnerable areas for insurgency, and economic hubs.
China has showcased its new Radar system SLC-18 at China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai (Guangdong) that ended on 13th November this year. SLC-18 is Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that can simultaneously scan and track multiple LEO satellites using UHF radio and microwave frequencies. This is advanced 10-meter-tall ground based radar, developed by the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC). State owned CETC develops the radar and missile systems, electronic equipment for People’s Liberation Army China. This satellite can get many orbital parameters of LEO satellite to categorize as potentially dangerous. Satellite’s orbital maneuvering reveals the main intention behind the launch, whether it is a spy satellite or not.
Phased array radars or electronically scanned array of antennas use multiple antenna elements to scan targets. Antenna elements are controlled by a computer to create a beam of radio waves in specific direction for scanning the area. There are two types of phased array radars, one is passive and other is active. In passive electronically scanned array (PESA), all the antenna elements are connected to a single analog transmitter/receiver system while in Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system every antenna element is connected to a separate Transmitter/receiver element through a Phase Shifter (PS). A computer is used to steer and beam the antenna elements through phase shifters, which are why Active phased array radar system can scan multiple targets simultaneously using different radio beams at multiple frequencies.
This is what the SLC-18 radar is built to do. AESA radars are used in naval defense cruisers and destroyers, ground based missile tracking and guidance systems, conformal antennas in air defense and satellites. These arrays are being used in civilian communication systems like MIMO (5G). MESSENGER (2011-15) was the 1st deep space probe (mission to the Mercury) that used this type of radar system for communication with Earth. Starlink communication satellites are using this radar system for controlling and communication.
What defenses Pakistan has against any satellite-based surveillance? This is the question we need answers for because we know the Indian space program is way ahead of us. They have several launch systems, they have their own positioning and navigation system (NAVIK), they are collaborating with NASA and other space agencies to explore Earth, Moon and Mars. The best strategy to counter this superiority is to invest in national space program, there is no close alternative to it because home grown technology will not only make us less dependent on foreign minds and political relations but trigger an economic uplift chain in local industry. As a stopgap solution we can get SLC-18 from China to counterbalance Indian superiority in space technology but it is not a long-term solution. Deputy Manager of CETC said in a statement, at the event mentioned above, that the SLC-18 will help friendly countries find targets in space. What if Pakistan, in future, fails to verify the friendly status to China? India has recently conducted a suborbital VIKRAM-S rocket’s successful test with 3 nanosatellites onboard.
What would be a start for our space program renaissance? Invest in space technology industry and ask academia to develop low-cost nanosatellites for technology test in LEO. Nexus of industry and academia is utmost requirement for supply demand chain to trigger technological as well as economic activity. We need to glamorize the science and technology by involving the youth at school and college level with the help of real-world scientific challenges and associated solutions. We need programs like STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) to hunt the future scientists from schools. Citizen scientists’ programs all over the world are contributing a lot in generating new research and new solutions. Industry, academia, media, intellectuals, parents and every active member of the society must recognize responsibilities and add to the community for the sake of future for the sake of science.
Saqib Ali
Saqib Ali is a content writer who has been writing about space science in various forums for the past few years. He has a master’s degree in computer science.