LeoLabs and the Business of Watching Everything
A startup built on Cold War-era radar science now tracks 25,000 objects in orbit - and the Pentagon can't get enough of it. But can its radars really compete with the Space Surveillance Network?
A startup built on Cold War-era radar science now tracks 25,000 objects in orbit - and the Pentagon can't get enough of it. But can its radars really compete with the Space Surveillance Network?
With 10,168 Starlink satellites operational out of 10,177 in orbit, SpaceX maintains its dominant low-Earth orbit constellation in April 2026.
Artemis 2's four astronauts entered lunar sphere of influence April 6, first crewed arrival since Apollo 17. NASA simultaneously proposed 25% budget cut for FY2027.
The White House wants to cut NASA's science budget nearly in half for the second year running. Administrator Jared Isaacman says it's enough. Congress already rejected this exact idea once.
Planet Labs just agreed to indefinitely withhold satellite imagery of the Middle East at the U.S. government's request. It's not the first time Washington has blinded commercial eyes in orbit - and the playbook is older than most people realize.
SpaceX's Starlink constellation holds 10,168 operational satellites as analysts await the next Falcon 9 launch window in April 2026.