Anduril advances space-tracking business with infrared satellite sensor for orbital night

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Anduril's infrared satellite tracking

Highlights

Anduril's Anduril-216 satellite, launched in July, successfully demonstrated a long-wave infrared sensor that tracks spacecraft during orbital darkness at 590 km altitude.
The system addresses space domain awareness by enabling identification of threatening satellite maneuvers and collision risks when visible-light methods are ineffective, targeting U.S. military customers for data sales.
Anduril plans to integrate its infrared sensors and compute modules with third-party satellite buses for future missions, aiming to expand into broader orbital regimes beyond low-Earth orbit.

Demo mission validates infrared tracking in eclipse periods

As reported by Ars Technica, Anduril says its Anduril-216 satellite has successfully demonstrated a long-wave infrared sensor designed to detect spacecraft heat signatures even when they are not illuminated by the Sun. The oven-sized satellite launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission in July and carries a package of technology demonstrations that also includes an edge-compute processor and a power-management system that can be adapted for different mission types.

Anduril-216 operates about 590 km above Earth and spends roughly one-third of each orbit in darkness, conditions that the company says allow the infrared imager to perform at its best. Gokul Subramanian, Anduril’s senior vice president of engineering, says the sensor has a wide dynamic range and low solar exclusion, allowing it to collect imagery in full darkness while being blocked by the Sun only rarely.

Adam Thurn, vice president and general manager of orbital systems at Anduril, says the system is meant to close a visibility gap that emerges when satellites maneuver during eclipse periods. He says the sensor gives operators a way to observe adversary or other resident space objects when traditional visible-light tracking has been limited.

Military demand and commercial model shape rollout

The capability addresses two core missions in space domain awareness, identifying potentially threatening satellite maneuvers and supporting traffic alerts when collision risks emerge. Anduril says its current focus is on gathering space domain awareness data for sale to the U.S. military rather than selling complete satellites or sensors directly to the government, although the company says that position could change over time.

Engineers adapted imaging technology already used in Anduril’s autonomous weapons programs for the space sensor, and the company released an infrared image of the Moon above Earth’s horizon as an early example of the instrument’s output. Thurn says the payload can support both unresolved and resolved imagery, indicating potential use in closer-range inspection of other satellites, while the near-term priority remains tracking objects in low-Earth orbit.

Apex Space built the spacecraft platform for Anduril-216, and Subramanian says Anduril does not plan to build its own satellite production line. Instead, the company expects to buy third-party satellite buses and integrate them with its own sensor and compute modules for a range of future missions, with possible expansion beyond low-Earth orbit and eventually into cislunar space.

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