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Two space domain awareness companies with different approaches: LeoLabs operates its own global radar network and sells tracking data and analysis, while Slingshot Aerospace builds software that fuses data from many sources, including for the U.S. Office of Space Commerce's TraCSS system.
| Metric | LeoLabs | Slingshot Aerospace |
|---|---|---|
| Founded[3,4] | 2016 (spin-off from SRI International) | 2017 |
| Headquarters[1,4] | Menlo Park, CA | Locations in California, Colorado and the UK (releases datelined El Segundo, CA) |
| CEO[1,4] | Tony Frazier (Jan 2026) | Tim Solms (Nov 2024) |
| Private funding on record | $111M raised privately | $80M raised privately |
| Core Approach[2,4] | Owns and operates its own radar network, plus software and AI | Software platform that fuses its own and third-party space data |
| Radars / Data Sources[2,4] | Tracker radars in Australia, the Azores, Costa Rica, New Zealand and Texas; a Seeker radar in Arizona; time on SRI's Poker Flat radar in Alaska; containerized Scout radars | Its own data plus the Slingshot Seradata satellite and launch database, owner-operator data and other third-party space data |
| Key Product[1,2,4] | Object Catalog and Orbital Intelligence services (conjunction alerts, launch support, threat assessment) | Slingshot Beacon (space traffic coordination) and the Slingshot Seradata database |
| Government Work (examples)[1,4] | Office of Space Commerce and U.S. Space Force JCO licensed its catalog (Sept 2025); USSF STRATFI and TACFI radar awards; Missile Defense Agency SHIELD contract | $13.3M NOAA Office of Space Commerce contract to build the TraCSS user interface (Nov 2024) |
| TraCSS Role[1,4] | Licensed its object catalog to the Office of Space Commerce, which runs TraCSS | Builds the TraCSS Presentation Layer (website and user experience) using Slingshot Beacon |
Figures as of Apr 17, 2026 (auto-updated daily from company profiles). Information only, not investment advice. Full disclaimer
LeoLabs runs its own radars: Tracker radars in Australia, the Azores, Costa Rica, New Zealand and Texas, a Seeker radar in Arizona, time on SRI International's Poker Flat radar in Alaska, and new containerized Scout radars, with a Scout planned for Hawaii in early 2026 and a second Seeker in the Indo-Pacific by 2027. Its Tracker radars follow debris larger than 10 cm; a Ranger radar for smaller debris is in development. LeoLabs says it tracks over 25,000 objects, including 99.96% of satellites and 98.56% of debris in the U.S. public catalog.[1,2]
Slingshot Aerospace describes itself as a provider of AI-powered satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation. Its platform combines its own data with the Slingshot Seradata satellite and launch database, satellite owner-operators and other third-party space data to build a view of space past, present and predicted. Slingshot launched in 2017 and has locations in California, Colorado and the UK.[4]
TraCSS, the Traffic Coordination System for Space, is run by the Office of Space Commerce within NOAA (Department of Commerce), not by the Space Force. In November 2024 the Office awarded Slingshot a $13.3 million contract (a $5.3 million, 12-month development period plus four option years) to build the TraCSS Presentation Layer, the website and user experience, using Slingshot Beacon.[4]
In September 2025 the Office of Space Commerce and the U.S. Space Force's Joint Commercial Operations cell jointly licensed access to LeoLabs' Object Catalog. LeoLabs reported more than $60 million in total contract awards in 2025 and a Missile Defense Agency SHIELD contract.[1]
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