The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Space Commerce (OSC) has selected LeoLabs as a key participant in its Commercial Collision Avoidance (COLA) Gap Pathfinder program. This initiative is designed to leverage commercial capabilities for rapid detection, orbit determination, and space object identification during the critical earliest phases of satellite deployment.
According to the Office of Space Commerce’s announcement, LeoLabs was chosen alongside other commercial space situational awareness (SSA) firms to provide essential services for this pathfinder project. The program aims to inform the development of OSC’s operational Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), a modern, cloud-based system intended to provide basic SSA and space traffic coordination services to commercial and civil space operators. This selection underscores LeoLabs’ recognized expertise in providing high-fidelity orbital data and analytics, crucial for enhancing spaceflight safety and sustainability in an increasingly congested Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment.
LeoLabs, a company dedicated to protecting satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), operates a global network of ground-based phased array radars. This proprietary network allows them to detect and track objects in space with unparalleled precision and at a significantly lower cost compared to traditional methods. Their mission is to provide accurate, real-time insights into orbital traffic, enabling satellite operators, launch providers, and government agencies to make informed decisions and prevent potential collisions.
The company’s advanced capabilities extend to providing a comprehensive suite of services through its LeoLabs Vertex™ platform. This includes automated satellite tracking, a robust collision avoidance service that provides real-time alerts, and specialized on-console support for quickly locating and identifying newly launched payloads. Beyond operational safety, LeoLabs also offers mission risk assessment services, providing crucial data for intelligent business planning for insurers, investors, and owner-operators in the burgeoning space economy. Their commitment to fostering a safe and sustainable space environment is paramount, reflecting the growing importance of precise space domain awareness in a future where thousands more satellites are expected to populate LEO.
