Trio of satellites completes functional testing and starts commercial operations
HERNDON, Va., March 31, 2021 — (PRNewswire) — HawkEye 360 Inc., the first commercial company to use formation-flying satellites to create a new class of radio frequency (RF) data and data analytics, today announced that its recently-launched "Cluster 2" satellites have achieved initial operating capability. The trio of satellites, which entered orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in January, have completed functional testing, moved into proper formation, and begun to geolocate RF signals. They are currently supplying RF data to customers and will soon ramp up output to reach full operating capability.
"The commissioning of these satellites is a major breakthrough for commercial geospatial intelligence," said CEO John Serafini. "As the leading global provider of space-based RF insights, HawkEye 360 is pleased that our newest satellites are performing exceptionally well and delivering high-quality RF data to our U.S. government, international government, commercial and humanitarian customers."
The Cluster 2 satellites greatly improve upon the capabilities of HawkEye 360's first "Pathfinder" (Cluster 1) satellites. The new satellites have redundant systems for longevity, increased computing for on-board data processing, a dedicated GNSS antenna to monitor GPS interference, enhancements to HawkEye 360's industry-leading geolocation accuracy, wider range of RF frequency coverage, and up to 10 times more collection capacity.
"Cluster 2 and its associated ground systems symbolize our ability to rapidly deliver new impactful capability — capability essential for supporting our clients' evolving requirements for global commercial RF data and analytics," said Executive Vice President Alex Fox. "We have a robust roadmap for deploying the most advanced commercial RF solution required to support this high growth industry. In conjunction with Mission Space — our RF analytics platform — we are opening the door for customers across a wide array of industries to seamlessly harness valuable RF insights to further their operational objectives."
HawkEye 360 is launching five additional clusters (15 total satellites) to establish its baseline constellation. Cluster 3 is on track to launch June 2021, Cluster 4 for October 2021, and further launches planned every quarter thereafter through 2023. Once the baseline constellation is in orbit, the company will be able to maintain revisit rates of considerably less than an hour to support time-sensitive monitoring of developing defense, security, and environmental situations.
For more information about capabilities of the HawkEye 360 satellite constellation, please visit he360.com.
About Hawkeye 360
HawkEye 360 is delivering a revolutionary source of global knowledge based on radio frequency (RF) geospatial intelligence to those working to make the world a safer place. The company operates the first-of-its-kind commercial satellite constellation to detect, characterize, and geolocate a broad range of RF signals. This unique RF data and analytics equip our global customers with high-impact insights needed to make decisions with confidence. HawkEye 360 is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.
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SOURCE HawkEye 360
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| Company Name: HawkEye 360
Alexandra Phelps Email Contact 703-966-0831 Web: https://www.he360.com/ |
