The Move to Space

In 1961 NORAD began to include satellite surveillance in their responsibilities and a system was created called SPADATS (Space Detection and Tracking System) with which Canada had some involvement.  They had two surveillance cameras at RCAF Cold Lake, Alberta, and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and a radar lab by the Defence Research Board that passed on information.

As NORAD became involved with space satellites, radar was used in this manner as well.  The information sent back from radar was used to identify the objects.  SPADATS in 1974 was following 3137 objects in space which included 352 American and 233 Soviet satellites that were currently in operation.  By 1978 it was up to 4500.

The radars, as part of SPADATS were not just in North America.  They were across the globe including in Diyarbakir, Turkey where there were two big radar antennae and a tracking radar, which then emitted radar energy into space in the shape of a large fan which automatically detected satellites.

In 1979 JUSCADS (Joint US-Canada Air Defence Study) looked into what was lacking in NORAD and considered the idea of space-based radars.  The question then became whether to update those on the ground or hope that they would last until new space technology was available.

Because of these changes, it was in 1981 after much debate that the name of NORAD was changed from Air Defense to Aerospace Defense.