LeoLabs
A commercial space technology company that tracks satellites and debris in low Earth orbit.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
LeoLabs is an American commercial space technology company focused on space situational awareness, space domain awareness, and traffic-management services for low Earth orbit (LEO). Founded in 2016 as a spin-off from SRI International, the company uses a network of ground-based radars, together with associated data-processing and analysis systems, to observe and characterize objects orbiting Earth. Its coverage is aimed at helping satellite operators, government agencies, and other space users understand the location and movement of active spacecraft, rocket bodies, and orbital debris. The company's core proposition is that the rapid growth of LEO satellite constellations and the accumulation of debris have made timely, high-quality tracking data increasingly important. LeoLabs' radar network is designed to detect and track objects that are difficult to monitor with less specialized systems, including objects reported as small as approximately two centimeters. By turning observations into orbital information and conjunction assessments, the company supports collision avoidance, mission planning, operational monitoring, and broader space-traffic-safety work. LeoLabs' infrastructure is geographically distributed rather than concentrated at a single observatory. The network has included radar installations in the United States, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Australia, Portugal's Azores archipelago, and Argentina. Reference material available for late 2025 describes 11 radar installations across seven global sites. This international footprint is intended to improve observation opportunities and provide more persistent coverage of objects in LEO, where satellites and debris move rapidly and orbital congestion is increasing. The company serves both public-sector and commercial customers. Its government-facing work includes space-domain-awareness and traffic-management services for U.S. and allied agencies, while its commercial audience includes satellite operators and other organizations that need independent orbital data and alerts. LeoLabs therefore occupies a specialist position between aerospace infrastructure, defense and security technology, and data-driven operational services. It is not primarily a spacecraft manufacturer; its principal assets are radar infrastructure, data products, analytics, and specialized expertise in orbital tracking. LeoLabs has funded the expansion of this model through private investment. The company completed a reported $65 million Series B financing in June 2021 and raised a further reported $29 million in February 2024. Reference material also states that it secured more than $50 million in contracts during 2024 and recorded nearly 140% revenue growth compared with the preceding year, although these figures should be read in the context of the cited reporting period and are not public-company financial disclosures. In the first half of 2024, the company reportedly won more than $20 million in new contracts for space-domain-awareness and traffic-management services. LeoLabs remains an active private company. Its significance is tied to the growing need for dependable orbital information as commercial constellations expand, launch cadence rises, and governments treat space infrastructure as a critical operational domain. The company’s brand is consequently associated with radar-based monitoring, orbital safety, collision-risk awareness, and the development of commercial capabilities for a more structured space-traffic environment.
History
LeoLabs was established in 2016 as a spin-off from SRI International, a research organization with a history of work in advanced technology and national-security applications. The new company was formed around the proposition that low Earth orbit needed more responsive and commercially available tracking capabilities. At the time, LEO was becoming more crowded as satellite operators planned larger constellations, while existing debris and aging orbital hardware created additional collision and operational risks. The company's technical model centers on ground-based radar rather than on-board spacecraft sensors. Radar installations observe objects crossing their fields of view and generate measurements that can be processed into orbital information. LeoLabs combines the resulting observations with software and analytical services to support the identification, tracking, and monitoring of satellites and debris. Its systems are intended to detect objects down to approximately two centimeters, a capability relevant to the assessment of smaller debris populations that are difficult to manage through conventional catalogues alone. A central feature of LeoLabs' development has been the construction of a geographically distributed radar network. Installations have been deployed in several regions, including the United States, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Australia, the Azores archipelago of Portugal, and Argentina. The distribution allows the company to collect observations from multiple locations and to improve the continuity and geographic diversity of its LEO coverage. Reference material available for late 2025 describes 11 installations across seven global sites. LeoLabs' commercial scope extends beyond the operation of radar equipment. The company packages observations and analysis into space situational awareness and space-domain-awareness services. These services can assist satellite operators with orbital monitoring, conjunction assessment, and collision-avoidance decisions. They also support government customers concerned with the safety, security, and management of activity in space. As a result, LeoLabs operates at the intersection of aerospace technology, defense-related information services, and commercial data infrastructure. The business has pursued private financing as it expanded its network and customer base. It completed a reported $65 million Series B round in June 2021 and raised another reported $29 million in February 2024. The company also reported significant commercial momentum during 2024: reference material states that it secured more than $50 million in contracts during the year and achieved nearly 140% revenue growth over the previous year. In the first half of 2024, it reportedly obtained more than $20 million in new contracts from U.S. and allied government agencies and commercial satellite operators. These figures describe reported company performance for specified periods and do not constitute audited public-company financial reporting. LeoLabs' development reflects the broader institutionalization of space traffic management. As launch activity and satellite deployment increase, operators require more frequent and precise information about conjunctions and debris. Government agencies likewise need independent tools for cataloguing and monitoring the orbital environment. LeoLabs' response has been to provide a commercial network and data layer that can be used by both sectors. The company remains privately held and active, with its identity defined primarily by orbital tracking, radar infrastructure, and analytical services rather than by the manufacture of spacecraft.
- 2025
Global radar network reaches 11 installations
[1]By late 2025, LeoLabs is described as operating 11 radar installations across seven sites in multiple countries and territories.
- 2024
Additional private financing
[1]LeoLabs raises a further reported $29 million in February as it continues expanding its space-domain-awareness operations.
- 2024
Expansion of government and commercial contracting
[1]Reference material reports more than $50 million in contracts during the year, including more than $20 million in the first half, serving government and commercial satellite customers.
- 2021
Series B financing
[1]The company completes a reported $65 million Series B financing round in June.
- 2016
LeoLabs is established as an SRI International spin-off
[1]LeoLabs is founded as a commercial space technology spin-off from SRI International, focusing on tracking objects in low Earth orbit.
Products and positioning
A specialist commercial provider of radar-based space situational awareness and orbital traffic-management data for satellite operators and government agencies.
Ground-based radar network
LeoLabs Radar Network
LeoLabs' distributed ground-based radar infrastructure is the foundation of its tracking business. The network observes satellites, rocket bodies, and debris in low Earth orbit and feeds measurements into the company's orbital-data and analytical systems. Reference material states that the network can track objects as small as approximately two centimeters and, by late 2025, comprised 11 installations across seven global sites.
Space data and analytics
Space Situational Awareness Services
These services provide information about the location, movement, and identity of objects in low Earth orbit. They are intended to help satellite operators and public-sector users monitor the orbital environment, understand potential conjunctions, and make better-informed operational decisions.
Operational space services
Space Domain Awareness and Traffic Management Services
LeoLabs supplies space-domain-awareness and traffic-management capabilities to government agencies and commercial satellite operators. The offering combines radar observations, orbital information, and analysis relevant to collision avoidance and the safe coordination of spacecraft operating in an increasingly congested LEO environment.
Brand decisions
2024
Scale government and commercial space-traffic servicesStrategyBackground
Growing satellite deployments and orbital congestion increased demand for space-domain-awareness and traffic-management information.
Action taken
LeoLabs expanded contracting with U.S. and allied government agencies and commercial satellite operators while continuing to develop its radar and data network.
Aftermath
Reference material reports more than $50 million in contracts during 2024 and nearly 140% revenue growth from the prior year.
Reported contracts and year-over-year revenue growth. More than $50 million in contracts during 2024; nearly 140% revenue growth versus the preceding year (2024)
2016
Commercialize radar-based LEO monitoringStrategyBackground
LeoLabs was created as an SRI International spin-off at a time when satellite constellations and orbital debris were increasing demand for more accessible space-tracking capabilities.
Action taken
The company built a commercial business around a global ground-based radar network and associated space-domain-awareness data and services.
Aftermath
The strategy positioned LeoLabs as a specialist provider serving both government agencies and commercial satellite operators.
Recent events
LeoLabs closes $65 million Series B financing round[3]
Reported:
LeoLabs closed a $65 million Series B financing round, jointly led by Insight Partners and existing investor Velvet Sea Ventures. The funding will be used to scale and build out multiple radar sites concurrently, starting in 2021.
LeoLabs launches Collision Avoidance service[4]
Reported:
LeoLabs introduced its Collision Avoidance service, a cloud-based platform for satellite operators that provides collision alerts and risk analyses.
Sources5 sources
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