Defence scientists are joining an international effort to track potentially damaging space debris with a new West Australian-based telescope.
A Defence Department tender closes next week for initial work on relocating an optical space surveillance telescope from New Mexico in the US to the Harold E Holt naval communications station at Exmouth.
The preliminary works, due to start in September and costing around $4.5 million, will include a construction platform and 900 metre access track.
The system will be complemented by US C-Band space surveillance radar, which is expected to cost around $30 million to relocate and $10 million a year to operate.
It is expected to be operating by 2017.
Four years ago Australia and the US entered into what is known as the Space Situational Awareness Partnership.
The US space surveillance network tracks about 16,000 objects ranging in size from the International Space Station to 10cm pieces of debris.
The objects are catalogued and predictions are made about their trajectories.
Space is becoming increasingly congested from more than five decades of space activities increasing the risk of accidental collisions and debris falling to earth.
There is also growing concern about the future use of anti-satellite missiles and signal jamming in warfare.
US defence officials fear the southern hemisphere is a blind spot in terms of space surveillance.
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