Northrop Grumman's (NOC) DARC Site 2 Hardware Order Shows the Space Force is Still Building Out GEO Tracking Capacity

Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE:NOC) is one of the Best Space Stocks to Buy Now. On February 25, 2026, Military & Aerospace Electronics reported that Northrop Grumman is moving forward on the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability program, a Space Force effort designed to detect, identify, and track satellites and other spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command announced a $76.7 million order for Northrop Grumman’s Space Systems segment to provide long-lead hardware for DARC site 2, planned for Wales in the western United Kingdom, with completion targeted for 2030.

The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability is intended to provide continuous, all-weather monitoring of objects roughly 22,000 miles above the equator. The report said the first program site was built in Western Australia under a 2021 contract, completed in December 2024, and is expected to become operational next year. A DARC demonstrator using a sparse array of dish antennas was tested at White Sands Missile Range in late 2021. The planned operational architecture calls for three mid-latitude sites in Australia, Wales, and the continental U.S., with the U.S. location still to be selected and completion expected around 2032.

Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE:NOC) is a defense and aerospace company that designs and builds systems across space, aeronautics, mission systems, and defense, serving U.S. government and allied customers.