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, has 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. As a global provider of space-based RF insights, HawkEye 360 is pleased that their newest satellites are performing exceptionally well and delivering high-quality RF data to the 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 HawkEye 360’s ability to rapidly deliver new impactful capability — capability essential for supporting their clients' evolving requirements for global commercial RF data and analytics. They have a robust roadmap for deploying the most advanced commercial RF solution required to support this high growth industry. In conjunction with Mission Space — HawkEye 360’s RF analytics platform — they 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 in June 2021, Cluster 4 in October 2021, and further launches are planned for 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.
