The US Space Force has selected Lake Kickapoo, Texas, as the preferred location for the third and final site of a deep-space surveillance network being built with the UK and Australia.
The site will complete the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), a planned network designed to provide coverage of objects in geostationary orbit. The selection remains subject to final planning approvals.
Construction at Lake Kickapoo is expected to begin in 2027 after a contract is awarded and required approvals are completed. Civil construction is projected to finish in 2029, followed by testing and evaluation, with operational acceptance planned for 2030.
Australia’s DARC site in Western Australia was completed in December 2024 and entered early-use operations in 2025. The UK site is planned for Pembrokeshire, Wales, where the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has proposed redeveloping Cawdor Barracks to host the radar.
What DARC Adds to Space Surveillance
Unlike optical systems that depend on darkness and favorable weather, DARC is designed to operate continuously and in all weather. The Space Force said it will provide greater sensitivity, accuracy, capacity, and tracking agility, including the ability to follow smaller objects at geostationary distances.
The project gives the three countries a shared sensor capability under a 22-year trilateral agreement. That arrangement is part of a broader effort by the AUKUS partners to develop capabilities that can be operated and used across national boundaries.
In August 2025, Northrop Grumman and the US Space Force demonstrated DARC for the first time at Site 1 in Western Australia.
The test combined seven of 27 ground-based antennas into a single array to track satellites, with weeks of data collection and calibration used to validate the system’s performance.
