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?
Launch Date
December 5, 2021
Launch Site
FRGUI
Launch Pad
ELS
Launch Vehicle
Soyuz-ST-B
NORAD ID
49809
International Designator
2021-116A
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:06:08 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
57.16°
Right Ascension
341.24°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
186.75°
Period
844.69 min
Mean Motion
1.70 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
GSAT0223 (GALILEO 27)
Alternative Name
GalileoSat-27
Type
Status
Owner
EUSPA
Country
EU
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 49809U 21116A 26184.42092905 -.00000075 00000-0 00000-0 0 9996
2 49809 57.1558 341.2375 0001787 186.7549 176.0990 1.70476367 28464
Source: Celestrak
Length
2.7
Diameter
1.6
Span
14.5
Dry Mass
660
Launch Mass
733
Shape
Box+2 pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Galileo FOC FM23
Purpose
Navigation
Mission
Navigation
Manufacturer
OHB
Life Expectancy
+12 years
Bus
Galileo
Configuration
SmartMEO
Motor
AOCS
Equipment
Galileo Navigation payload, MEO SAR
Power System
2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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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?
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