HERNDON, VA, HawkEye 360 Inc. announced that its “cluster 3” satellites have arrived at their site to launch Cape Canaveral. The trio of second-generation HawkEye 360 satellites, each containing a radio frequency (RF) payload developed by HawkEye 360, is set to launch in June aboard Spaceflight Inc.’s SXRS-5 mission.
Cluster 3 will join HawkEye 360’s Cluster 2 and Cluster 1 Pathfinder satellites in orbit, further expanding the company’s base constellation. The latest satellites will significantly expand the constellation’s current collection capacity and reduce the percentage of repeat visits. Seven additional next-generation clusters – fully funded and scheduled to launch in 2021 and 2022 – will complete the base constellation, allowing a revisit rate of up to 20 minutes to support time-sensitive defense, security and commercial purposes.
Cluster 2, which launches in January, and Cluster 3 are significantly more powerful than the company’s first research cluster, the Pathfinder Cluster. Starting with Cluster 2, this new generation of satellites processes data at a faster speed and is equipped with enhanced software-defined radio stations (SDRs) that can simultaneously collect a wide range of frequencies. The overall system is designed to produce faster and more accurate geolocations. In addition, Cluster 3 includes capabilities for in-orbit investigations that will help design a roadmap for future feature additions.
The HawkEye 360 constellation detects, characterizes and accurately geolocates a wide range of radio frequency signals from emitters such as VHF marine radios, UHF push-to-talk radios, marine and ground-based radar systems, L-band satellite devices and emergency beacons. The company processes and analyzes this RF data to provide useful information and a unique layer of knowledge about national, tactical and national security operations, maritime domain awareness, environmental protection and a growing number of new applications, especially in the commercial sector.
Comments are closed.