A network of advanced radars for monitoring deep-space activity are being developed in Wales.

Under the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (Darc) program, 27 radar dishes, each of which will stand 20 m tall, will be erected on the St Davids peninsula in southwest Wales.

Source: Ministry of DefenceSource: Ministry of Defence

There, the radars will track objects as small as a football in size and serve as part of a larger global network that aims to enhance space defense.

The radar system, which is being developed as an initiative under the Aukus defense partnership involving the U.K., U.S. and Australia, will monitor and track objects up to 22,000 miles away from Earth in what is considered by the U.K. Ministry of Defence essential for safeguarding against potential space-based threats.

According to its developers, the radar system is expected to match the reach of geostationary orbit, offering detailed intelligence on satellites. The Darc network seeks to address the increasing concerns over space security as the number of satellites are projected to surge from roughly 9,000 this year to an estimated 60,000 by 2030.

The initiative is moving forward despite local opposition to the project wherein campaigners have launched a movement called Parc Against Darc, which denounces the plans as “one of the most health-hazardous, tourism-ruining, skyline-blighting military installations ever proposed anywhere in the U.K.”

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