LeoLabs’ Costa Rica Radar Facility opened in 2021. Photo: LeoLabs

LeoLabs has won an AFWERX contract for $1.2 million to build a radar to track objects in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), the company announced Thursday. LeoLabs will design, develop, build, and test a prototype S-band 2-D direct radiating array (DRA) that is capable of advanced object tracking in LEO. 

The award is a small business innovation research (SBIR) Phase II contract. LeoLabs said this next-generation radar technology will help counter security threats in space. The company operates a network of ground radars around the world that track objects in LEO. 

“As the number of adversarial satellites in space dramatically increases year over year, we are committed to supporting the U.S. Department of Defense’s efforts to enhance tracking of non-cooperative launches, smaller orbital debris, and objects in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO),” says LeoLabs CEO Tony Frazier. “We are dedicated to enhancing the resiliency of space architectures and strengthening deterrence to ensure U.S. national security.”