# Anduril demos night-vision sensor for tracking satellites in darkness

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/anduril-demos-night-vision-sensor-for-tracking-satellites-in-darkness/
- Published: 2026-11-11T20:22:03+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T20:33:16+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/11/anduril-demos-night-vision-sensor-for-tracking-satellites-in-darkness/
- Topics: Space, Technology

## Key points

- Anduril demonstrated an orbital infrared sensor that can track satellites in darkness.
- Anduril-216 orbits about 590 kilometres above Earth.
- The technology could help spot manoeuvres hidden from visible-light sensors.

## Summary

Anduril says it has successfully demonstrated an infrared sensor in orbit that can track spacecraft while they pass through Earth’s shadow. The capability could help address a gap in satellite monitoring, allowing the US Space Force and other operators to detect manoeuvres that visible-light sensors may miss.

The sensor detects heat from other objects and has a wide dynamic range with few restrictions from sunlight, according to Anduril. Its Anduril-216 satellite launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission in July and orbits about 590 kilometres above Earth, spending roughly a third of each orbit in darkness. Anduril released an infrared image of the Moon as an example; the company says the sensor is focused on tracking in low Earth orbit, with possible uses in other orbits.

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