Cal Poly announced it will be helping the military track the tens of thousands of objects in Earth's orbit.
The university is the first academic institution to sign an agreement with U.S. Strategic command to join this program.
Cal Poly is already well-versed on space and satellites having helped prepare and send several CubeSats into orbit over the past few years.
Experts estimate that by 2026, there will be more than 4,000 satellites circling the globe.
They say it's important to keep track of them to better understand how they may affect the space environment.
