LeoLabs, a California-based company specializing in space object tracking, introduced a mobile surveillance radar system aimed at military customers hoping for enhanced monitoring of low Earth orbit (LEO), particularly as the Pentagon increases scrutiny of China’s space activities.
The new system unveiled April 7, dubbed “Scout,” is a portable version of the company’s established fixed-site radar infrastructure. Scout can be transported in a container-sized truck so it can be rapidly repositioned to emerging hotspots, LeoLabs CEO Tony Frazier said in an interview.
Developed with funding from a Small Business Innovation Research contract, the system aims to fill gaps in the U.S. military’s existing space-surveillance network, Frazier said. “We’re also exploring ways it can be deployed on a maritime platform,” he said. “Scout can be positioned anywhere to address contingencies or monitor specific regions of low Earth orbit requiring enhanced surveillance.”
The introduction of a mobile radar marks a strategic push by LeoLabs to expand its defense footprint at a time when the U.S. is ramping up efforts to monitor Chinese and Russian space activities.
In December, the company unveiled an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radar site in Arizona to track objects in low and very low Earth orbit, including advanced missile threats and hypersonic glide vehicles. More recently, LeoLabs secured a $60 million public-private agreement, backed by the Small Business Innovation Research program and U.S. Space Command, to deploy a UHF radar site in the Indo-Pacific region by 2026.
Integrated global network
LeoLabs is integrating these new sensors with its existing network of phased array radars positioned globally in Australia, the Azores, Costa Rica, New Zealand and Texas.
Frazier said the company’s expansion addresses growing demand for surveillance capabilities as mega-constellations increasingly populate low Earth orbit and as military customers seek technologies to monitor increasingly sophisticated spacecraft.
“We’re seeing spacecraft that are aggressively maneuvering, and so in order to be able to detect that activity, and maintain custody of those objects, we’re proliferating our sensors,” Frazier said.
LeoLabs’ mobile radar system also supports missile-defense activities, enhancing its appeal to military customers, he said. The company is currently testing its sensors’ capabilities to track hypersonic glide vehicles, which represent one of the most challenging missile threats to detect and intercept due to their maneuverability and speed.