LEO Tracking Capabilities Expanded by Slingshot Aerospace
More than 80 new optical sensors will be deployed to expand the LEO tracking opportunities offered by Slingshot Aerospace, the company announced recently. The expansion will make its network the largest commercial optical sensor network for LEO observation in the world – providing first-of-its-kind optical tracking of LEO objects at scale.
“Slingshot’s enhanced space situational awareness data is already trusted by government organizations and satellite operators worldwide, and this expansion will allow us to significantly increase industry-leading LEO tracking data for satellite operators around the globe.”
Melanie Stricklan, Co-founder and CEO Slingshot Aerospace.
The company plans to complete the optical sensor expansion by the end of 2023. It will include proprietary telescopes and ultra-wide field of view sensors, bringing the total network to more than 200 sensors across more than 20 sites globally. The expansion will include two new Southern Hemisphere sites, with additional sensors being added to many of the company's existing sites. The expansion to the network will increase Slingshot’s daily LEO observations by 100x, resulting in more than one million observations per day.
The rapid pace of LEO constellation deployment is creating an urgent need for increased LEO tracking capabilities and characterization of objects in LEO. Slingshot says its network of sensors will dramatically improve observation frequency – accelerating revisit rates and providing more persistent optical tracking of the more than 6,500 active satellites in LEO today.
Expanded LEO Tracking Capabilities will Improve SSA
“Slingshot’s enhanced space situational awareness data is already trusted by government organizations and satellite operators worldwide, and this expansion will allow us to significantly increase industry-leading LEO tracking data for satellite operators around the globe,” said Melanie Stricklan, Co-founder and CEO, Slingshot Aerospace. “We are making Slingshot’s Global Sensor Network the go-to commercial space surveillance and tracking provider for all orbital regimes. This expansion introduces an unprecedented level of space situational awareness that gives operators the critical insights they need for successful space operations.”
Slingshot’s Global Sensor Network generates precise angular and brightness data that provides additional context beyond existing LEO radar tracking capabilities. Angular data enables enhanced orbital state generation (how the object is moving), while brightness data enables object characterization and change detection. The Slingshot Global Sensor Network leverages proprietary sensors with daytime LEO tracking capabilities that allow for 5x the observation opportunities of night-only systems. This increased observation window provides customers with more frequent observations of their satellites and objects of interest. The expansion also adds additional redundancy to the network that further mitigates any intermittent weather outages which are historically associated with smaller electro-optical observation networks.
Slingshot has also recently announced an expansion of its executive team with two key executive appointments. Leslie Hildebrand, a former executive at Lockheed Martin, has been appointed to the role of Senior Vice President of Government Business Development and Strategy. Hildebrand brings more than 23 years of experience in senior strategic business development roles to her new position. Pieter Kreuk has been named Chief Financial Officer, bringing more than a decade of financial leadership experience with senior positions at Ernst & Young and other companies.
(Source: Slingshot Aerospace news release. Images provided)