Lattice: A Rapid-Transition Ku-Band Metasurface Radar for Sovereign Responsive Space

As Europe and its allies pivot toward space sovereignty and resilient orbital architectures, the demand for high-performance, rapid-delivery Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capabilities has become critical. This paper presents Lattice, a prototype spaceborne radar system designed to provide a low-risk, high-fidelity transition of ground-proven radar technology into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment.

Developed by Rocket Lab in collaboration with Kapta Space and Radar Applications Inc. (RAI), Lattice integrates a Ku-band Metasurface Electronically Steered Array (MESA) with a production-ready Flatellite spacecraft bus. Unlike traditional active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs), the MESA architecture utilizes electronically steerable metasurface tiles to achieve beam agility without the complexity and mass of phase-shifter-heavy systems. This modular approach enables scalable aperture sizing while directly supporting coherent SAR imaging, spotlight modes, and moving target indication (MTI).

The Lattice architecture addresses the “dual-use” requirements of the current strategic environment by emphasizing:

• Rapid Delivery: Maturing a system from architecture definition to operational capability by FY2028.

• Operational Resilience: Utilizing onboard processing and autonomous mission tasking to maintain performance in contested or limited-connectivity environments.

• Imagery Quality: Validated performance modeling predicts high-resolution imagery (NIIRS) achieved through tight coupling between payload phase coherence and platform stability.

The paper details the Phase 1 maturation of the system, including critical technology maturation of the metasurface tiles, integrated thermal/power management for high-duty-cycle operations, and the end-to-end ground-to-space processing chain. By leveraging vertically integrated manufacturing and existing modeling toolchains, Lattice offers a credible, affordable path to an on-orbit demonstration by FY2028, supporting the broader goal of resilient, sovereign space infrastructure.