Varda Space Industries, specializing in microgravity research and development of hypersonic reentry vehicles, together with LeoLabs, a leader in the field of orbital intelligence, та Anduril Industries, Defense Technology Company, successfully conducted a joint demonstration of tracking, monitoring and reporting on orbital maneuvers before hypersonic return to land. The demonstration took place with the participation of the Varda W-3 hardware module, who returned to Earth 13 May 2025 year after performing a series of orbital maneuvers.
LeoLabs, using its global radar network, tracked W-3 maneuvers in low Earth orbit (LEO) on signals from Varda. The resulting data was integrated with the Anduril Lattice platform, an AI-enabled software, which provides stable network connectivity and communication through a global network of sensors. This allowed users to receive operational information about orbital maneuvers in real time. Tracking maneuvers in LEO is critical to space situational awareness, providing early warning and identification of potentially dangerous activities.
As part of the upcoming experiment, the companies plan to expand the demonstration, using the new LeoLabs Scout radar – a containerized S-band direct-radiation antenna, which can be rapidly deployed anywhere in the world to detect and track launches and returns, such as the Varda plantings in South Australia. Data from the radar will also be integrated into the Lattice platform to enable communication with various government and defense control centers.
This demo, organized in less than a week as an internal research and development project, highlights the flexibility and speed of innovative space companies in identifying applications, conducting research and iterative improvement. Varda test site for hypersonic returns, that uses reusable, dual-purpose capsules, is the most economical way to reproduce difficult flight conditions at speeds above Mach 25. This allows you to quickly increase the level of technological readiness (TRL) and perform iterative testing.
Source: https://www.ourquadcities.com