LeoLabs to place Azores Space Radar after 'a multi-decade investment'

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The new Azores Space Radar from LeoLabs will go operational in the first half of 2022. | Facebook.com/leolabs.space

Menlo Park, California-based LeoLabs Inc. is placing its next space radar in the Azores, an investment the company said is in step with Portugal’s national and regional goals. 

LeoLabs, which provides commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) mapping and space situational awareness (SSA) services, said in a news release it will expand its global collection of LEO sensors. The company said the Azores site should be up and running by early next year. 

"We are very excited about our decision to locate in the Azores," Dan Ceperley, founder and CEO, said in the news release. "This is a multi-decade investment on the part of LeoLabs, and a great opportunity for us to support the space sustainability goals of Portugal as they grow their presence in the global space community. It also signals LeoLabs' commitment to a long-term presence in Europe."

The company pointed out that its investment in Portugal is a key strategic investment in its global radar program. Local officials, according to Manuel Heitor, Portugal's minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, supported the move. 

"This is clearly a strategic contribution to Portugal, consistent with our national ethic of promoting responsible stewardship of space, and a timely step toward increasing our contribution to the European space sector,” Heitor said in the release. “In addition, LeoLabs and Portugal are clearly excited about expanding commercial and educational opportunities within Portugal itself, applicable to space. We look forward to a long and constructive engagement."

Ceperley further pointed out that LEO faces challenges in sustainability and security. In the Azores, the company can take steps to clear both of these hurdles. 

Strategically located, the location pairs well with other LeoLabs locations. The company said in the statement it will be able to track orbital debris, increasing response time and enhancing flight safety. 

Ceperley said in the release that enhancing its presence in Portugal will allow the company to “engage more with ESA, the EU SST and member-state initiatives, as well as engaging other European space actors in defense, space agency and commercial operators in the near-term.”