LeoLabs, the world’s leading mission partner for persistent Orbital Intelligence, announced the deployment of Scout-S, a first-of-its kind system designed to enhance battlespace awareness for U.S. and Allied space operations. Scout-S represents the next evolution in LeoLabs’ radar architecture as it establishes a new class of transportable, three-dimensional (3D) search radars that can be rapidly deployed, repositioned and reconstituted to complement fixed-site systems.
As adversarial activity in space accelerates, Space Domain Awareness requirements are evolving beyond periodic object detection and tracking toward persistent custody, characterization and timely operational awareness. Scout-S is designed for this mission shift. Scout-S combines 3D scanning, direct radiating array (DRA) technology, and a modular S-band electronic design to enable uncued search, discovery, and persistent tracking of high-interest objects across low Earth orbit (LEO) and very low Earth orbit (VLEO). This system also enables more proliferated coverage and a resilient architecture. Housed in a standard 20-foot ISO container, Scout-S can be transported by land, sea or air for rapid deployment and easily repositioned or reconstituted in contested environments.
The first operational Scout-S system, deployed in the Indo-Pacific, began observing satellites within hours of activation. Early performance includes persistent tracking of Chinese ISR satellites, including Yaogan military reconnaissance satellites between 800 and 1,000 km. The system is also demonstrating persistent track custody of China’s Spaceplane and has detected an object as low as 230 km.
“The threat has changed and so should the architecture,” said Tony Frazier, CEO of LeoLabs. “The acceleration of adversarial activity in space is challenging U.S and Allied Space Superiority. Tracking objects periodically to predict orbits is no longer enough. What matters now is the ability to maintain persistent custody of maneuverable payloads so our customers can respond to emerging threats. Scout-S was built to support that mission — bringing a new level of scalability, resiliency and proliferation to space sensing.”
Scout-S extends observation windows from seconds to several minutes during a single orbital pass, improving object custody and enabling operators to better characterize object behavior to make more informed operational decisions. Advanced search-to-track and track-while-scan modes support dynamic detection and tracking of high-interest objects and activities, including non-cooperative launches. LeoLabs’ first fielded instance of Scout-S is contributing to the company’s object catalog of over 26,000 objects as part of its global radar network. It is also serving as a real-world testbed for future capabilities, which includes participating in an experiment at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Valiant Shield 2026 exercise. Located in a strategically important region, the deployment demonstrates how transportable sensing can rapidly extend coverage where mission demand is highest.
This deployment marks a significant milestone in the development of LeoLabs broader Scout family of transportable radars. Future systems are planned to expand beyond space surveillance into missile warning and tracking, as well as multi-domain battlespace awareness missions. This effort is supported in part by a U.S Space Force Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) award and private investment. Scout-S is part of the company’s broader strategy to rapidly proliferate its global sensor network, including deploying multiple Scout systems, while also advancing cost-effective radar technologies aligned with U.S and Allied mission requirements.
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