AN/FPS-129

The AN/FPS-129 HAVE STARE radar, known better as the Globus II radar, is a space surveillance system operated by the Norwegian Intelligence Service. Its stated tasks are to watch outer space, observe Norwegian areas of interest abroad, and to gather information that can be used within the fields of research and development. The radar may be used for national research and development through the Norwegian Military's Research Institute (Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt) or civilian scientific institutions.

Globus II has two tasks within the stated task of watching space is to gather metric data from satellites, which is used by the US Space Command to produce and maintain the Space Catalog, which contains orbit data on all man-made objects in outer space. The second task is to create high-resolution radar imagery by selected objects in space. Globus-II is allegedly capable of observing satellites in geosynchronous orbit at ranges of some 40,000 kilometers from Vardø, which is where the radar is deployed.

Its TPO is 200 kW, which is relatively little when compared with other radars. Globus-II is still able to see objects far away, because the combination of the antenna, which is a dish diameter of 27 meters, and a relatively high frequency gives a concentrated narrow antenna beam, enabling the energy to be used with maximum effect. It can allegedly detect objects in the 1–10 cm size range.

One radar of this type was previously deployed in Vandenberg Air Force Base, California and has been moved to the Globus II station in Vardø, Norway.

External links

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/havestare.htm HAVE [e-mail]]
* [http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=ma00sellevag Uncovering Vardø]
* [http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/track/index.html Satellite Tracking@FAS]
* [http://www.mil.no/etjenesten/start/globus2/ Official Norwegian Military site on Globus-II (Norwegian)]