Anduril’s long-wave infrared sensor detects heat signatures from spacecraft, even during periods of solar eclipse. It offers us a “unique opportunity to witness an adversary or other resident space objects maneuvering during these eclipse periods where we have been fairly blind in the past,” Thurn said.
When developing the infrared space sensor, engineers used imaging technology that Anduril uses in its autonomous weapons for use in space. Anduril released a single image from Anduril-216’s sensor on Tuesday showing an infrared view of the moon above Earth’s horizon. The moon image offers just a foretaste of the instrument’s possibilities, said Thurn.
The Moon above Earth’s horizon, captured by Anduril’s long-wave infrared space sensor.
Photo credit: Anduril Industries
The Moon above Earth’s horizon, captured by Anduril’s long-wave infrared space sensor.
Photo credit: Anduril Industries
“The long-wave infrared capability we have in orbit can capture both unresolved and resolved images,” Thurn said, suggesting that Anduril’s sensor could be used to inspect other satellites in orbit if it flies close enough. For now, Thurn says, Anduril is focused on optimizing its tracking sensor for low-Earth orbit, but it could also be used in other orbits and eventually in cislunar space near the Moon.
Apex Space, a satellite manufacturing startup, built the spacecraft platform for Anduril-216. Subramanian said Anduril has no plans to start its own satellite production line. Instead, Anduril envisions purchasing third-party satellite platforms and integrating them with sensor and computing modules to carry out a range of different missions in space.
“That’s what you’re seeing today with Anduril-216, where we started with a simple mission, which is how we track satellites, especially during these eclipse periods where the U.S. is currently unable to maintain custody,” Subramanian said. “And based on that, we designed a mission.”
The computing module on Anduril-216 is designed to fuse data from different types of sensors such as infrared or visible imagers and generate tracking solutions autonomously, without intervention or analysis from the ground.
Subramanian said Anduril’s current focus is on acquiring space data for sale to the U.S. military, rather than selling entire satellites or sensors to the government. “Currently Anduril does not offer this system as a commercial supplier,” he said. “That could change in the future.”
