HawkEye 360 has announced the successful launch of the company's Pathfinder mission - its first cluster of three, formation-flying small satellites - aboard Spaceflight's SSO-A: SmallSat Express rideshare on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellites will deliver a unique source of radio frequency (RF) data that HawkEye 360 will use to create first-of-its-kind RF-based analytics.
Now that the Pathfinder satellites have reached orbit, the company will initiate system checkout and begin to maneuver the satellites into position over the next several weeks. The satellites will be able to identify and precisely geolocate a broad set of RF signals from emitters such as VHS push-to-talk radios, maritime radar systems, AIS beacons, VSAT terminals, emergency beacons and more.
The core of HawkEve360's business is RF analytics, which is dependent upon high-quality, geolocated RF data. Each of these small satellites is equipped with a software-defined radio that can tune to different frequencies and pick up different RF signals. When they see the same signal from all three satellites, they triangulate it and figure out where the signal is coming from. The company will continue growing their constellation to improve revisit rates with its next set of satellites already under development for launch later in 2019.
HawkEye 360 processes and analyzes signals using proprietary algorithms and machine-learning tools to deliver actionable insights. The company is developing foundational products that build global awareness of spectrum deployment, creating an RF data layer for the planet. The resulting analytical products will help customers assess suspicious vessel activity and risk, survey how frequencies are used, detect communication interference, evaluate communication outages during disasters and help rescuers search for people in distress. For more information about HawkEye 360, click here.
