LeoLabs expands global radar coverage with its West Australian Space Radar, Business News
The new radar site is fully operational, adding significant coverage of the Southern Hemisphere – a major milestone in LeoLabs’ planned expansion of its global space radar network
SYDNEY , Jan. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — LeoLabs, the leading commercial provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) mapping and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services, today announced the commissioning of the LeoLabs West Australian Space Radar (WASR). The commissioning ceremony, hosted by LeoLabs Australia, will be attended by LeoLabs leadership and international guests, federal and state politicians, local elders and community leaders, as well as members of the Australian Space Agency and the Australian Defense Force.
Aerial view of the two S-band active phased array radars at the West Australian Space Radar (WASR) site in Collie Shire, Western Australia.
LeoLabs provides superior information in the dynamic space age through its vertically integrated space operations stack and globally networked space radars. LeoLabs has announced plans to build its sixth radar site near Bunbury in Western Australia in October 2021. Site work began in April 2022 with construction finishing in November and operational testing completed in December.
The US-made radars were assembled by a consortium of local Australian companies under the supervision of LeoLabs Australia. Despite the COVID pandemic, local engineering companies were able to complete the project within eight months.
“Australia is now host to a landmark in the world of space security,” said LeoLabs CEO Dan Ceperley. “At LeoLabs, we are honored and humbled to be part of the Australian space ecosystem and to have found so many supporters and partners in Australia.”
Joe Northover, Senior Loreman for the Beelagu Wilman in the Bibbulmann Nation, welcomed LeoLabs to Wilman Noongar country and acknowledged the radar’s important role in caring for ‘skyland’, which the First Nations people of Australia have known for tens of thousands of years observe. as the world’s first astronomers.
The WASR site hosts two S-band active phased array radars that add critical surveillance capability for the Southern Hemisphere. In conjunction with the LeoLabs Kiwi space radar in the South Island of New Zealand, this site will enable excellent detection and monitoring of resident space objects in median to high inclination in LEO in the heart of the Indo-Pacific region. The two radar sites will also increase LeoLabs’ capacity to discover new objects, including lethal, small debris that is currently undetectable. Finally, with the addition of this new radar site, LeoLabs’ network has grown to include 10 independent radars across six operational sites, with plans to expand further in 2023 and 2024.
More about LeoLabs (www.leolabs.space)
LeoLabs is changing the way satellite operators, commercial enterprises and federal agencies around the world launch and track missions in low Earth orbit. Through its vertically integrated technology system, LeoLabs Vertex™, LeoLabs delivers the superior information needed to succeed in today’s space race. With unmatched LEO coverage, real-time tracking and powerful insights, companies and governments rely on LeoLabs to safely innovate and conduct a wide range of operations in space.
As illustrated here, the Western Australian Space Radar and the Kiwi Space Radar add critical surveillance capability for the Southern Hemisphere.
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