The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) project, an initiative under the AUKUS partnership of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, is emerging as a centerpiece of a more distributed and multilateral approach to space security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. As nations seek to strengthen space domain awareness (SDA) amid growing congestion and strategic competition in orbit, DARC is central to surveillance architecture.
Conceived as a network of ground-based radars operated by the AUKUS partners, DARC is designed to provide persistent, high-fidelity tracking of small objects on geosynchronous orbit (GEO).
“We need to monitor activities across all orbital regimes, from LEO [low Earth orbit] to GEO, but GEO is particularly critical because it hosts key satellite communications infrastructure,” Dr. Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Defence Strategy Program, told FORUM, noting that China, in particular, is developing GEO capabilities.
“DARC gives us situational awareness in GEO, allowing us to understand what’s happening,” Davis said. “Within alliances — especially with the U.S. but also partners like Japan and the U.K. — this awareness is essential.”
With sites planned in all three AUKUS countries, DARC will enable global coverage that individual nations cannot achieve alone. The first site is in Western Australia. Such integration is increasing as Indo-Pacific partners address gaps in space surveillance. Australia and the U.S., for example, are collaborating on additional radar installations, while South Korea plans to launch SDA satellites by the 2030s.
At the same time, operational coordination is being enhanced through frameworks such as the U.S.-led, multinational Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative, Davis said.
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“Collaboration through CSpO is critical,” he said, emphasizing that the recognition of space as a contested operational domain necessitates a shift from reliance on large, vulnerable satellites to resilient, distributed architectures across multiple orbits.
By sharing SDA data, partners can achieve a 24/7 understanding of critical orbits, reducing the risk of surprise attacks or “space dogfighting.”
Cooperation bolsters another key area of space security: The growing number of satellites increases the risk of orbital collisions and the so-called Kessler Syndrome, in which a cascade of debris renders orbits unusable.
“The sharing of critical space situational and space domain awareness data between space operational stakeholders is therefore not only desirable but increasingly imperative in order to allow continued access to and utilization of orbital technologies, which give rise to broad benefits on Earth,” Steven Freeland, an emeritus professor at Australia’s Western Sydney and Bond universities and a space policy advisor, told FORUM. He noted that such transparency “will serve to highlight the risks and deter reckless behavior.”
As DARC moves toward full operational capability, Davis said, the integrated space framework is expanding to include key players such as Japan and South Korea.
“In the expanding ecosystem of space activities, future ambitious missions and projects will become too big and too complex for one country to embark on alone,” Freeland said.
The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) project, an initiative under the AUKUS partnership of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, is emerging as a centerpiece of a more distributed and multilateral approach to space security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. As nations seek to strengthen space domain awareness (SDA) amid growing congestion and strategic competition in orbit, DARC is central to surveillance architecture.
Conceived as a network of ground-based radars operated by the AUKUS partners, DARC is designed to provide persistent, high-fidelity tracking of small objects on geosynchronous orbit (GEO).
“We need to monitor activities across all orbital regimes, from LEO [low Earth orbit] to GEO, but GEO is particularly critical because it hosts key satellite communications infrastructure,” Dr. Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Defence Strategy Program, told FORUM, noting that China, in particular, is developing GEO capabilities.
“DARC gives us situational awareness in GEO, allowing us to understand what’s happening,” Davis said. “Within alliances — especially with the U.S. but also partners like Japan and the U.K. — this awareness is essential.”
With sites planned in all three AUKUS countries, DARC will enable global coverage that individual nations cannot achieve alone. The first site is in Western Australia. Such integration is increasing as Indo-Pacific partners address gaps in space surveillance. Australia and the U.S., for example, are collaborating on additional radar installations, while South Korea plans to launch SDA satellites by the 2030s.
At the same time, operational coordination is being enhanced through frameworks such as the U.S.-led, multinational Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative, Davis said.
Join the discussion
How can your nation contribute to collective initiatives to secure the critical space domain?
“Collaboration through CSpO is critical,” he said, emphasizing that the recognition of space as a contested operational domain necessitates a shift from reliance on large, vulnerable satellites to resilient, distributed architectures across multiple orbits.
By sharing SDA data, partners can achieve a 24/7 understanding of critical orbits, reducing the risk of surprise attacks or “space dogfighting.”
Cooperation bolsters another key area of space security: The growing number of satellites increases the risk of orbital collisions and the so-called Kessler Syndrome, in which a cascade of debris renders orbits unusable.
“The sharing of critical space situational and space domain awareness data between space operational stakeholders is therefore not only desirable but increasingly imperative in order to allow continued access to and utilization of orbital technologies, which give rise to broad benefits on Earth,” Steven Freeland, an emeritus professor at Australia’s Western Sydney and Bond universities and a space policy advisor, told FORUM. He noted that such transparency “will serve to highlight the risks and deter reckless behavior.”
As DARC moves toward full operational capability, Davis said, the integrated space framework is expanding to include key players such as Japan and South Korea.
“In the expanding ecosystem of space activities, future ambitious missions and projects will become too big and too complex for one country to embark on alone,” Freeland said.
