05.18.2022

Space debris expert warns U.S. ‘woefully behind’ in efforts to clean up junk in orbit

Dr. Darren McKnight, LeoLabs Senior Technical Fellow, discusses the urgent need for the US government to take a leadership position globally in facilitating the removal of dangerous derelict objects in space that pose the highest levels of collision risk.

06.17.2021

Forbes: Startup's New Radar Will Help Protect the ISS and Satellites from Space Junk

As hundreds of new satellites are being added to low Earth orbit every year, the risk of debris—and the millions of dollars of economic damage it can cause—is ever-increasing. It’s a risk that’s constantly on Dan Ceperley’s mind. On Wednesday, the company announced that it’s expanding its radar system to the Azores in Portugal, which […]

03.09.2021

Fast Company: The 10 most innovative space companies of 2021

Why SpaceX, LeoLabs, and GHGSat top our 2021 list of the biggest innovators in the space industry.

01.01.2021

Forbes Science Awards 2020: Best Product, Leolabs’ Collision Avoidance

Space is getting increasingly crowded, and with a number of companies putting constellations of hundreds of satellites into low Earth orbit in the coming years, ensuring that they don’t collide with each other – or an old bit of space junk — is increasingly important. That’s where Menlo Park, Calif.-based LeoLab’s automated collision avoidance system […]

07.22.2020

SpaceNews: LeoLabs to construct fourth radar in Costa Rica

LeoLabs announced plans July 22 to construct a phased-array radar in Costa Rica to track objects as small as two centimeters across in low inclination orbits. The Costa Rican radar “fills a gap because with an equatorial radar we can track all orbits,” Ed Lu, former NASA astronaut and LeoLabs co-founder, told SpaceNews.

04.27.2020

Military Embedded Systems: Commercial satellite tracking service unveiled by LeoLabs

LeoTrack, delivered as a web-based subscription, offers satellite operators a full range of monitoring capabilities, including precision tracking of satellites, orbital state vectors, predictive radar availability, scheduled passes, and real-time orbit visualization for constellations as well as individual satellites.

11.19.2019

Aviation Week: Winners announced for Aviation Week's Annual Laureate Awards

Aviation Week Network announced today the winners of the 63rd Annual Laureate Awards, honoring extraordinary achievements in the global aerospace arena. The 2020 Laureate Awards will take place on March 12, 2020 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

10.24.2019

The Weather Channel: Interview with Dan Ceperley

Remember that scene in Gravity when Sandra Bullock goes spinning off into space after her shuttle is struck by debris? Space junk is a very real problem astronauts face, and @LeoLabs_Space is working to track it.

10.24.2019

SpaceNews: New Zealand space agency aims for sustainability, agility, collaboration

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The New Zealand Space Agency is moving quickly to develop a comprehensive strategy reflecting its priorities including sustainability, agility and collaboration, said agency head Peter Crabtree.

10.17.2019

Otago Daily Times: Space radar keeps satellites safer

The Kiwi Space Radar — built by California-based LeoLabs in Naseby in the past year — was opened yesterday in front of an international audience that heard New Zealand’s space sector was growing rapidly in size and value.

10.15.2019

Stuff: Radar in Central Otago will help reveal size of space junk problem

Satellite collisions should become less common thanks to a radar station that has been built on a farm near Naseby in Central Otago to track hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk.

10.15.2019

Otago Daily Times: Kiwi space radar set to track space junk

An international space tracking facility built in Naseby is a “next generation” world first, those behind the project say. The LeoLabs Kiwi Space Radar would be the first in the world to track space debris smaller than 10cm, LeoLabs chief executive Dan Ceperley said.

10.15.2019

Newshub: New Otago-built Kiwi space radar will track the movements of satellites, space debris

Four giant halfpipes in the central Otago township of Naseby could help keep vital mapping satellites up in the air. They form a new Kiwi Space Radar, which will track the daily movements of thousands of satellites and pieces of space debris.

10.15.2019

Devdiscourse: LeoLabs launches Kiwi space radar and new era of transparency in LEO

“The Kiwi Space Radar raises the bar on addressing the threat of collisions that have never before been tracked in LEO,” said Michael Nicolls, co-founder, and LeoLabs Chief Technology Officer.

10.15.2019

Business Insider: A new radar system will track 250,000 tiny pieces of space junk. It may help prevent snowballing collisions that could cut off our access to orbit

For the first time, space companies can track tiny bits of dangerous space junk that orbit the planet and menace satellites.

10.14.2019

TechCrunch: LeoLabs and its high-fidelity space radar track orbital debris better than ever — from New Zealand

Ask anyone in the space business and they’ll tell you that orbital debris is a serious problem that will only get worse, but dealing with it is as much an opportunity as it is a problem. Leo Labs is building a global network of radar arrays that can track smaller debris than we can today, […]

10.14.2019

Silicon Angle: In its new Kiwi space radar site, LeoLabs sees a stepping stone to space-based AI

The Silicon Valley catchphrase “Move fast and break things” takes on a whole different meaning in space. The millions of pieces of debris that litter the Earth’s orbit zip around at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour, according to NASA, which means even a pebble-size object can cause catastrophic damage to a satellite […]

10.14.2019

Scoop: ‘Next-generation’ space radar to be unveiled in Naseby

World’s first ‘next-generation’ space radar to be unveiled in Naseby. Silicon Valley start-up LeoLabs are set to unveil their first ‘next-generation’ space radar this week in Naseby, Central Otago, after two years of construction. The Kiwi Space Radar’s unveiling, it marks a key milestone in the company’s partnership with the New Zealand Government.

10.14.2019

Via Satellite: LeoLabs reveals Kiwi space radar

LeoLabs launched Kiwi Space Radar (KSR) today. As the first commercial radar to track objects in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) smaller than 10 centimeters, the KSR aims to set a new standard for tracking threats to satellites from orbital debris. Located in New Zealand, the KSR also expands LeoLabs’ radar network to the southern hemisphere, and […]

10.14.2019

Forbes: This startup just built a new radar system to track space junk

Space is getting increasingly crowded. There are nearly 2,000 active satellites in Earth’s orbit—and close to another 2,800 inactive ones. By 2030, there’s a good chance that number will pass 20,000. This massive increase raises the risk of collisions that could damage or destroy satellites, potentially leading to millions of dollars’ worth of losses.

10.14.2019

TVNZ Breakfast: The first Kiwi space radar

Leolabs’ Kiwi space radar has been launched in Naseby. It has the ability to track objects in lower Earth orbit and is set to advance space traffic safety. Pretty cool stuff!

10.14.2019

Breaking Defense: LeoLabs new radar tracks tiny space debris

AUSA 2019: LeoLabs today announced a unique radar for tracking space objects, based in New Zealand to improve monitoring of satellites and debris over the Souther Hemisphere — where even DoD has limited satellite tracking ability.

10.14.2019

Aviation Week: LeoLabs adds space tracking radar in New Zealand

Space situational awareness startup LeoLabs has completed its first radar installation outside the U.S. The Kiwi Space Radar (KSR) in New Zealand will boost the company’s ability to track objects in […]

10.14.2019

SpaceNews: LeoLabs unveils next generation with Kiwi space radar

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — LeoLabs, the Silicon Valley space mapping startup, announced Oct. 14, initial operation of the Kiwi Space Radar, the firm’s third space surveillance radar and first with updated technology to track debris as small as two centimeters in low Earth orbit.

10.09.2019

SpaceNews: Space industry pressed to hire enough software engineers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — Some space companies say their greatest hiring difficulty today is recruiting enough software engineers to work on their programs.

10.09.2019

SpaceNews: LeoLabs planning to triple number of radar sites for space debris tracking by early 2020s

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — LeoLabs, a company using radar sites to track satellites and space debris in low Earth orbit, plans to increase its number of sites from two to six over the next few years.

08.15.2019

Aviation Week: LeoLabs launches commercial smallsat tracking service

Space situational awareness startup LeoLabs has launched the first commercial satellite service tailored for smallsat and cubesat operators. LeoTrack is available as a web-based subscription and is […]

08.06.2019

Aerospace Technology: LeoLabs introduces commercial satellite tracking service

US-based LeoLabs has launched LeoTrack, the world’s first commercial satellite tracking service for smallsat and cubesat operators.The service will be available as a web-based subscription and offer satellite operators a full range of monitoring capabilities, including precision tracking and predictive radar availability.

08.05.2019

SpaceNews: LeoLabs unveils commercial satellite tracking service for small satellites

LOGAN, UT — LeoLabs, a space situational awareness company, unveiled a small satellite tracking service called LeoTrack Aug. 5 at the Small Satellite Conference here.

08.05.2019

Via Satellite: LeoLabs introduces smallsat commercial satellite tracking service

LeoLabs revealed LeoTrack, a commercial satellite tracking service for smallsat and cubesat operators. LeoTrack, delivered as a web-based subscription, offers satellite operators a range of monitoring capabilities, including precision tracking of satellites, orbital state vectors, predictive radar availability, scheduled passes, and real-time orbit visualization for constellations as well as individual satellites.

07.24.2019

Aljazeera: Tracking space trash may be the next best thing to clearing it

On April 7, something went very, terribly wrong 36,000km above the Earth’s equator, in geostationary orbit. An IS-29e Intelsat Epic-series satellite was leaking fuel and tumbling.

07.23.2019

Business Insider: Space tech VC investors name 7 companies to watch in 2019

VCs say these 7 space tech firms are set to crush the market in the $350 billion race for space.

07.01.2019

IT Brief: NZ space agency to track satellites launched from NZ

The New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) will now be able to track all satellites launched from New Zealand, thanks to a partnership with space tech agency LeoLabs. The NZSA and LeoLabs created a tool with the rather flat name of Space Regulatory and Sustainability Platform that can track objects launched from New Zealand.

06.27.2019

Quartz: Frequent, rapid, affordable

Dear readers, It’s the fourth edition of Space Business, Quartz’s newsletter on the economic possibilities of the extra-terrestrial sphere. Please share widely, and let me know what you think. This week: Kiwis in space, Elon Musk’s rocket fleet, and China’s got a delayed heavy-lift rocket, too.

06.26.2019

Aviation Week: LeoLabs, New Zealand work to enable responsible use of LEO

The New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) is evaluating a regulatory platform, developed jointly with LeoLabs, that is the first to enable regulators to monitor whether commercial satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) are operating in compliance with their licenses.

06.26.2019

Stuff: Satellites launched from NZ to be tracked for traffic and debris purposes

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how many twinkling satellites are passing above? Well, our own space agency now might hold the answers to your out-of-this-world questions.

06.26.2019

RNZ: NZ’s space agency to track objects in orbit

The New Zealand Space Agency is expanding its ability to track objects launched into orbit. A pilot scheme will allow officials to monitor satellites launched from New Zealand, to minimise space debris and collisions as a “regulator of space activity.” Thirty-seven satellites have been launched into orbit from New Zealand in the past two years, […]

06.26.2019

NZHerald: Watch- New tool lets NZ space agency track satellites launched from NZ

The New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) says it’s continuing to build its capability as a regulator of space activity with a new pilot project which allows officials to see real-time information on the orbital position of satellites launched from New Zealand.

06.25.2019

SpaceNews: LeoLabs and New Zealand announce tool to monitor low Earth orbit activity

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — LeoLabs, a space situational awareness startup, has created a tool to help the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) continuously monitor satellites in low Earth orbit, LeoLabs and NZSA announced June 25.

06.25.2019

TVNZ 1 News: NZ Space Agency launches new tool to track satellites, combat space debris

Alongside space situational awareness experts LeoLabs, NZSA has developed the tool – dubbed the Space Regulatory and Sustainability Platform – to track that objects launched from New Zealand comply with permit conditions.

06.16.2019

SpaceNews: As it plans LEO constellations, DoD must prepare to deal with congestion

“On National Security” appears in every issue of SpaceNews magazine. This column ran in the June 10, 2019 issue. The buzzword in military space these days is “proliferated LEO,” which is Pentagon-speak for large numbers of small satellites in low Earth orbit.

12.11.2018

Wired: To clean up space junk, some people grabbed a net and harpoon

CLYDE TOMBAUGH SPENT much of his life peering at telescope data. He discovered Pluto in 1930, and he spent years poking around the outer solar system. But as the scientific community began to dream about launching a vehicle into the great beyond, he focused his gaze much closer to home.

12.07.2018

Wired: SpaceX 'clown car' launch actually worked—here's how

A FEW YEARS ago, a company called Spaceflight had a wacky plan. The plan, in the words of CEO Curt Blake, was “Let’s buy a Falcon!” Not, like, the bird of prey. Like the big SpaceX rocket that, similar to its avian namesake, swoops back down to Earth once it’s done its job.

10.11.2018

5G Technology World: Phased array radar will track space debris as small as 2 centimeters

The government of New Zealand and startup LeoLabs have signed an agreement to track space junk in the Southern Hemisphere by installing phased array radar.

10.03.2018

FutureFive: LeoLabs space-tracking tech is coming to Central Otago

Central Otago is going to become home to one of the first radars in the Southern Hemisphere to track small satellites and space debris. LeoLabs is a US space innovator that will launch a phased-array radar to do all the tracking, thanks to the New Zealand Government’s Innovative Partnerships programme.

10.03.2018

Spatial Source: New Zealand to host first LEO space radar in Southern Hemisphere

Commercial space situational awareness provider LeoLabs will build its third space radar in New Zealand, the first radar of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

10.02.2018

Aerospace Technology: LeoLabs and New Zealand partner to install radar to track space debris

US-based start-up LeoLabs has signed an agreement with the Government of New Zealand to install phased array radar to track space junk in the Southern Hemisphere. The third radar of LeoLabs’ network will be the first of its kind to be installed in Southern Hemisphere.

10.01.2018

Via Satellite: LeoLabs to build space radar in New Zealand

LeoLabs, a commercial provider of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mapping and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services, has agreed to build its next space radar in New Zealand. This establishes New Zealand as the site for the first radar of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

10.01.2018

Satnews: LeoLabs selects New Zealand to expand their space radar network

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — LeoLabs plans to install its next phased array radar in New Zealand, marking the space mapping startup’s first move into the Southern Hemisphere.

10.01.2018

Otago Daily Times: Scrap spotting space radar proposed for Central Otago

Central Otago’s skies look set to host an international space tracking facility that will help “clean up space” while sourcing cutting-edge data for a range of space-based technologies.

09.30.2018

Beehive.govt.nz: Innovative Partnerships sets sights on space

American space innovator LeoLabs has chosen to set up shop in Central Otago, establishing a phased-array radar to track small satellites and space debris – the first in the Southern Hemisphere. LeoLabs credits its decision to invest in New Zealand in part to the support it received through the Government’s Innovative Partnerships programme.

09.30.2018

NZ Herald: Central Otago base for US space tracker LeoLabs

US space innovator LeoLabs is to set up shop in Central Otago, establishing a phased-array radar to track small satellites and space debris – the first in the Southern Hemisphere. LeoLabs credits its decision to invest in New Zealand in part to the support it received through the Government’s Innovative Partnerships programme.

09.30.2018

Stuff: US firm to build high-tech radar in Central Otago to track space junk

Tiny pieces of space junk will be tracked from a new type of radar station that a United States company will build in Central Otago next year. The radar will be the third built by California company LeoLabs, joining facilities in Texas and Alaska, but its first capable of tracking objects in low-orbit that are […]

09.30.2018

SpaceTech Asia: LeoLabs to build space radar in New Zealand to track debris

LeoLabs, Inc., a US-based provider of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mapping and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services, has announced a broad-based agreement to build its next LeoLabs Space Radar in New Zealand.

09.30.2018

RNZ: NZ to help track space junk in midst of space's 'business revolution'

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment is teaming up with an American company to track small pieces of space junk in low-Earth orbit. The little pieces of debris, pose a risk to satellites and other spacecraft.

09.30.2018

Otago Daily Times: Central Otago base to track space junk

US space innovator LeoLabs is to set up shop in Central Otago, establishing a phased-array radar to track small satellites and space debris — the first in the Southern Hemisphere.

09.29.2018

Noted NZ: New Zealand is about to get into the space junk business

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite was launched on its test mission from the International Space Station. Next year, the British scientists behind RemoveDEBRIS will test a harpoon, spearing a piece of junk so it can be dragged into the Earth’s atmosphere to burn up harmlessly.

09.29.2018

Financial Times: US start-up LeoLabs maps out plan to make dollars from space junk

The small satellite revolution has transformed space into a business valued at more than $300bn, but it has also created a traffic management problem with millions of pieces of junk whizzing around the planet.

09.29.2018

Aviation Week: LeoLabs sharpens focus on LEO debris

Commercial space situational-awareness startup LeoLabs is extending its orbital-debris radar tracking network to the Southern Hemisphere. The company is to locate the third radar in its network, and […]

09.29.2018

TVNZ 1 News: Southern Hemisphere’s first space junk radar to be built in Otago

An American space company has announced it’ll build a space radar in New Zealand. Leo Labs’ radar will be built in Central Otago and will be the first in the Southern Hemisphere. Eventually it will become part of a network of three to track space junk and collect it.

09.29.2018

SpaceNews: LeoLabs forges agreement with New Zealand

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — LeoLabs plans to install its next phased array radar in New Zealand, marking the space mapping startup’s first move into the Southern Hemisphere.

07.30.2018

Spacetech Asia: Japan’s WERU investment, Airbus Ventures lead LeoLabs’ $13 million Series A

LeoLabs, a California-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) startup, has just closed a US$13 million Series A financing round led by Japanese Venture Capital (VC) firm WERU Investment and Airbus Ventures. Other investors include Space Angels and Hong Kong-based Horizons Ventures.

07.30.2018

NewsCenter.io: Space tech startup LeoLabs closes $13 million Series A

LeoLabs, Inc., a commercial provider of low Earth orbit mapping and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services, secured a $13 million Series A financing round led by global investors WERU Investment and Airbus Ventures. Other investors participating in the round include Space Angels and Horizons Ventures.

07.28.2018

CTOvision: LeoLabs- Mapping space the way it needs to be done

LeoLabs is a Silicon Valley space mapping startup which announced on 26 July 2018 that it has received a series A funding round to pursue improving their capability.LeoLabs tracks spacecraft and debris in low earth orbit with phased-array radars in Midland, Texas and Fairbanks, Alaska.

07.28.2018

Astroblogs: Space travel startup LeoLabs traces space debris and satellites

LeoLabs, a Silicon Valley space startup specializing in object, probe and space debris mapping, in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO), announced last July 26 to have raised around US $ 13 million for new investments that will be made mainly outside the United States.

07.27.2018

NewsWest9: LeoLabs space radar startup raises $13 million in funding

The company, which has a phased-array radar in Midland, Texas, plans to expand its network across the globe as well as enhance its software platform.

07.26.2018

SpaceIntelReport: Satellite-and debris-tracking startup LeoLabs closes $13m Series A round

07.26.2018

SpaceNews: LeoLabs raises $13 million in Series A funding

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — LeoLabs, a Silicon Valley space mapping startup, announced July 26 it raised $13 million in a Series A funding round led by WERU Investment of Tokyo and Airbus Ventures, the European aerospace giant’s early-stage investment group.

07.26.2018

Fortune: Term Sheet — Thursday, July 26

07.26.2018

Axios: Pro Rata

06.25.2018

CNBC: Airbus venture arm backing LeoLabs to build the ‘Google Maps’ of satellites

In the loud and crowded world of satellites, start-up LeoLabs is working toward offering both governments and companies alike a solution to cut through the noise.

03.20.2018

IEEE Spectrum: Why did Swarm launch its rogue satellites?

Nearly two weeks after IEEE Spectrum broke the news that Swarm Technologies had carried out the first ever unauthorized satellite launch, mystery surrounds the company’s reasons for doing so. And uncertainty clouds the air around it because it’s not clear what the consequences for the stealthy startup might be.

10.23.2017

Forbes: Space technology- Venture capitalists' final frontier

The future is almost here. By 2025, satellites the size of shoeboxes will provide high-speed internet for every single one of the world’s 7.6 billion people. Governments and people will have hack-proof communications thanks to “quantum entanglement” — a phenomenon that renowned physicist Albert Einstein described as “spooky action at a distance.”

09.15.2017

Via Satellite: LeoLabs, Planet collaborate on stewardship model for low earth orbit

LeoLabs announced it is teaming with Planet to help protect satellites and keep space navigable for future generations of entrepreneurs. In a paper to be published at The Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) conference, LeoLabs and Planet will demonstrate a flight system that uses commercial data sources to enhance collision risk assessment […]

09.12.2017

SpaceNews: FinSpace winner LeoLabs working with Planet to show how commercial data helps satellite operators avoid collisions

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Planet and LeoLabs, the Silicon Valley startup building a network of radars to track objects in low Earth orbit, are working together to demonstrate how satellite operators can use commercial tracking data to prevent collisions.

04.21.2017

Via Satellite: LeoLabs CEO on tracking orbital debris for mega-constellations

Leolabs has already begun to talk to potential customers about its debris tracking services. According to founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Daniel Ceperley, the Silicon Valley start-up is executing on customer engagement after the official ribbon cutting ceremony of its Midland Space Radar (MSR) facility this week.

04.20.2017

Parabolic Arc: LeoLabs completes space radar facility in Midland

MIDLAND, TX (MDC PR) — The Midland Development Corporation (MDC) and LeoLabs, Inc., celebrate the completion of the Midland Space Radar facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Construction of the Midland Space Radar began in September 2016 and was completed in February 2017.

04.19.2017

Midland Reporter-Telegram: MDC, city praised for cooperation on radar facility

What started several years ago as a prototype made of PVC pipe and chicken wire has become reality, thanks to a bit of help from the Midland Development Corp. and the city of Midland. A small ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday at the MDC offices to officially celebrate the completion of LeoLabs’ Midland Space Radar, […]

02.27.2017

The National: Dead satellites pose a challenge to commercial space ambitions

The UAE’s space sector is a key plank for its economic development and the growing amount of space junk orbiting the planet is an issue the country is well aware of. While the recent hit US film Gravity referenced it, albeit dramatically, the space surrounding our home planet is a floating junkyard where debris abounds, […]

02.27.2017

VentureBeat: SRI spinout LeoLabs raises $4 million to monitor space debris

The Star Wars saga painted a sensational picture of outer space. But the truth is, there are a myriad of debris floating around out there — 13,000 pieces to be exact — that pose a danger to the 500 or so satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). LeoLabs, a spin-out of SRI International, announced today […]

02.27.2017

SpaceNews: Satellite-tracking firm LeoLabs opens for business with $4 million banked

MENLO PARK, CA — With $4 million in the bank and two radars tracking satellites and debris in low Earth orbit, Silicon Valley startup LeoLabs is now open for business. LeoLabs began operating a phased-array radar in Midland, Texas, in February.

02.27.2017

Silicon Angle: LeoLabs raises $4M to help satellites dodge space debris

Launching a rocket or satellite into orbit is only half the journey for companies operating in the space commercialization industry. They also have to worry about preventing collisions with floating debris after the initial deployment is complete, a challenge that LeoLabs Inc. is working to tackle.

02.27.2017

FinSMEs: LeoLabs closes $4M funding round

LeoLabs, Inc., a Menlo Park, CA-based commercial provider of data to track space debris and prevent collisions in low Earth orbit (LEO), closed a $4m funding round. Backers included SRI International, Horizons Ventures, and Airbus Ventures.

09.21.2016

SpaceNews: LeoLabs to build space-tracking radar at Texas spaceport

LeoLabs Inc., a Silicon Valley startup preparing to build a worldwide network of phased-array radars to detect and track objects in low Earth orbit, plans to install a radar at Texas’ Midland International Air and Space Port, according to a Sept. 13 announcement.