4 minute read•Updated 9:37 AM EDT, Wed April 9, 2025
LeoLabs, a global leader in Orbital Intelligence and space surveillance, unveiled a transformative leap in its radar capabilities with the debut of Scout, a next-generation, mobile radar system designed for rapid deployment and adaptability in an increasingly congested and contested space domain.
Described as a “game changer” by CEO Tony Frazier, the Scout radar represents a new class of modular, containerized S-band Direct Radiating Array (DRA) systems that can be rapidly deployed worldwide.
Tailored to dynamic Space Domain Awareness (SDA) missions, Scout can operate autonomously or in tightly networked clusters, offering unparalleled flexibility to meet shifting operational needs, from real-time launch monitoring to surveillance of orbital maneuvers.
“Mobile radars offer timely proliferation and the ability to quickly adapt to changing threats by deploying wherever and whenever our customers need it most...With Scout, we’re building a resilient, low-latency global network that supports persistent orbital intelligence across mission types and orbital regimes.” - Tony Frazier, LeoLabs CEO
Designed for Today’s Evolving Space Environment
Scout’s launch comes at a critical time for space operations. The exponential growth of mega-constellations, increased satellite maneuverability, a surge in global launch cadence, and heightened geopolitical tensions in orbit have exposed the limitations of traditional static space surveillance infrastructure.
LeoLabs’ mobile solution aims to solve this challenge by bringing space monitoring capabilities to the edge, on demand. Scout’s containerized design allows for deployment to hard-to-reach or tactically significant regions, delivering orbital coverage exactly where it’s needed—be it near an adversarial launch site or a satellite maneuver corridor.
This new radar class joins LeoLabs’ suite of tracking assets, including its legacy Tracker phased-array radars located in Australia, the Azores, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Texas, and its more recent Seeker-class radar, which became operational in Arizona in December 2024.
Scout and Seeker complement one another by providing both mobility and ultra-high-frequency sensitivity, respectively, ensuring layered surveillance across altitudes and mission types.
Accelerating Growth and U.S. Space Force Backing
LeoLabs’ momentum has been further accelerated by U.S. military support.
In March 2025, the company was awarded a $60 million STRATFI (Strategic Funding Increase) opportunity by SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force’s innovation directorate. As part of that agreement, LeoLabs will deploy a Seeker radar in the Indo-Pacific region by 2027, strengthening SDA capabilities in one of the world's most strategically vital theaters.
Combined with Scout’s expeditionary model, the STRATFI partnership signals a broader shift toward distributed, resilient ground-based space surveillance, enabled by commercial innovation.
Looking Ahead: The Full Radar Spectrum
LeoLabs is also developing Ranger, a fixed-site, scalable S-band DRA radar designed to detect space debris as small as 2 centimeters, a key capability for Space Traffic Management (STM) and orbital debris mitigation.
When operational, Ranger will round out LeoLabs’ portfolio, which now spans from mobile to high-precision to fixed long-range tracking solutions.
Together, Scout, Seeker, Tracker, and the upcoming Ranger form a multi-layered radar constellation on Earth’s surface; offering the kind of real-time, global orbital intelligence previously reserved for military surveillance satellites.
Commercial Innovation Driving National Security
With the debut of Scout, LeoLabs positions itself not just as a service provider, but as a strategic enabler of national and allied space security, bringing agile and adaptable solutions to government, civil, and commercial operators alike.
As near-Earth orbit grows more unpredictable, LeoLabs’ rapid deployment model could prove critical to preserving space safety and enabling coordinated response to emerging threats.
