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HawkEye 360, Inc.
Company typePrivate
FoundedSeptember 16, 2015
Founders
  • Chris DeMay
  • Charles Clancy
  • Bob McGwier
HeadquartersHerndon, VA
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • John Serafini (CEO)
ProductsRF data and analytics
Number of employees
150 (2022)
Websitewww.he360.com

HawkEye 360 is an American geospatial analytics company headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. The company specializes in the collection and analysis of radio frequency (RF) signal location data using a constellation of satellites.[1][2]

History

HawkEye 360 was founded in 2015 to leverage small satellites for the commercial collection and geolocation of RF signals.[3] The company received seed financing from Allied Minds, a venture capital firm based in Boston.[4]

In 2016, HawkEye 360 began contracting the construction of their Pathfinder cluster of satellites with Deep Space Industries (DSI) and University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS SFL).[5] In November 2016, the company completed a Series A round led by Razor's Edge Ventures with major participation from Raytheon.[6] During this period, the company also received a patent for a method of determining the location of RF transmitters.[7][8]

The company's advisory board includes former members of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, former Army and Air Force officers, and former members of the intelligence community.[3]

In December 2018, HawkEye 360 launched the company's first set of small satellites, known as the Pathfinder cluster, into orbit as part of Spaceflight's SSO-A SmallSat Express ride-share aboard a SpaceX Falcon9.[9] As of 2024, all satellites are still operational.

In April 2019, it released its first product, RFGeo, whose purpose was to identify and locate RF signals so customers can then view and analyze data.[10] In August 2019, the company announced a $70 million series B financing round.[11]

In October 2019, HawkEye 360 expanded the company's signal waveform library to include ultra-high frequency (UHF) band and L band frequencies, and an update to RFGeo. The company's signal expansion into the UHF band enabled monitoring of push-to-talk radios, which could aid discovery of cross-border smuggling operations and poaching. The update to RFGeo includes a process to extract vessels' MMSI identifiers to match it to its specific broadcasts. The RFGeo update also includes a catalog of previously collected RF Geo data so customers can order and access archived data.[12]

In December 2019, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) granted HawkEye 360 a contract[13] to explore combining commercial RF capabilities into NRO's geospatial intelligence architecture.[14] Also in 2019, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a license allowing HawkEye 360 to eventually launch up to 80 incremental satellites for the eventual steady-state operation of a 15-cluster constellation.[15]

In 2020, the National Air and Space Museum added a full-size model of one of HawkEye 360's Pathfinder satellites to display in their museum as part of an upcoming exhibit detailing the story of the space age.[16]

In 2021, the company launched its second and third satellite clusters as well as announcing raising $55 million in a series C financing round and $145 million in a series D financing round.[17][18]

In 2022, the company launched its fourth and fifth satellite clusters and opened a manufacturing facility to enable constructing satellites in-house.[19]

In 2023, the company launched its sixth and seventh satellite clusters, as well as raising $68 million in a series D-1 funding round.[20][21] The series D-1 funding round included an investment from and strategic agreement with defense contractor Lockheed Martin.[20] As of October 2023, HawkEye 360's total capital raised was $378 million.[20]

In December 2023, HawkEye 360 acquired Maxar Intelligence's RF Solutions business unit (formerly Aurora Insight) for an undisclosed amount.[22]

HawkEye 360 has plans to execute and maintain a 30-satellite constellation, and the company has launched a total of ten clusters to-date.[9][23] UTIAS SFL has supported the development of all ten clusters, with some clusters built directly by SFL and others built in-house by HawkEye 360 with SFL providing technical support.[24]

Technology

At present, HawkEye 360 operates ten trios of compact satellites, known as clusters, which orbit the Earth at altitudes between 400 and 600 kilometers. These satellites employ a unique water propulsion system that enables them to maintain a specific formation, crucial for accurately triangulating and charting signal locations.[25]

Each satellite (also referred to as a Hawk) in the cluster has a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) with the ability to detect a wide range of radio frequencies. Once all three satellites have picked up on a common signal, they can trilaterate that signal with accuracies dependent upon the terrain, signal, and other factors.[26][27]

Clusters 2 and beyond feature several enhancements relative to the pathfinder cluster. These new satellites are equipped with the capability to simultaneously gather multiple RF signals, enabling the creation of multi-layered RF data. Additionally, each satellite features an upgraded Software Defined Radio (SDR) for capturing higher quality data, leading to more precise geolocation. Furthermore, these satellites possess enhanced processing power, allowing them to manage larger volumes of data.[28][29]

As of October 2024, 10 clusters have been launched (including the Pathfinder cluster), for a total of 30 hawk satellites currently in orbit:

Flight No. Mission COSPAR ID Launch date Launch vehicle Orbit altitude Inclination Number
deployed 		Deorbited
1 Hawk Pathfinder 2018-099 3 December 2018 Falcon 9 Block 5 570 km x 589 km 97.6° 3 0
2 Hawk 2 2021-006 24 January 2021 Falcon 9 Block 5 522 km x 534 km 97.4° 3 0
3 Hawk 3 2021-059 30 June 2021 Falcon 9 Block 5 508 km x 532 km 97.6° 3 0
4 Hawk 4 2022-033 1 April 2022 Falcon 9 Block 5 493 km x 505 km 97.4° 3 0
5 Hawk 5 2022-057 25 May 2022 Falcon 9 Block 5 522 km x 538 km 97.5° 3 0
6 Hawk 6 2023-011 24 January 2023 Electron 551 km x 555 km 40.5° 3 0
7 Hawk 7 2023-054 15 April 2023 Falcon 9 Block 5 498 km x 511 km 97.4° 3 0
8 Hawk 8 2024-066 7 April 2024 Falcon 9 Block 5 589 km x 594 km 45.6° 3 0
9 Hawk 9 2024-066 7 April 2024 Falcon 9 Block 5 586 km x 591 km 45.6° 3 0
10 Hawk 10 2024-149 16 August 2024 Falcon 9 Block 5 594 km x 597 km 97.7° 3 0

In addition to the 30 Hawk satellites, HawkEye 360 also operates two spectrum scanning satellites obtained from its purchase of Maxar's RF Solutions unit:[22]

Mission COSPAR ID Launch date Launch vehicle Orbit altitude Inclination Number
deployed 		Deorbited?
Charlie 2021-006 24 January 2021 Falcon 9 Block 5 357 km x 367 km 97.3° 1 No
Delta 2023-084 6 June 2023 Falcon 9 Block 5 469 km x 482 km 97.5° 1 No

Uses

Maritime usage

In order to maintain maritime visibility, most vessels are mandated to use Automatic Identification System (AIS) beacons aboard vessels to locate them. Although AIS is a useful tool, there are many ways it can be rendered ineffective. Ships can turn their beacons off, effectively making them very difficult to detect and track. Other times, ships will input invalid coordinates (referred to as spoofing), so as to appear miles from their true location. Lastly, in high-traffic areas such as ports, it is difficult to distinguish vessels' signals due to the high density of RF activity.[30]

HawkEye 360 collects and analyzes RF frequencies used by ships for navigation to see vessels true locations and fill gaps in AIS information. This information regarding illicit maritime activity could help in global efforts to combat pirating and illegal fishing.[25][31][32]

Security and defense

Data collected by HawkEye 360 is used to monitor high-risk regions for unusual activity. For instance, HawkEye 360 observed increased RF activity in the Galwan River Valley off the China-India border, which enabled tasking of Earth observation imagery that revealed a Chinese military buildup in the area that was contributing to regional unrest to include dozens of reported military casualties.[33] This remote monitoring allows operatives to have an advantage of a more comprehensive understanding of an area before entering.[32]

Telecommunications

HawkEye 360 is used to monitor frequency spectrum usage, to allow for planners to see in advance which areas have the highest density of RF activity and how spectrum resources can be dynamically deployed for use in that area.[34] Monitoring could also eventually enable telecommunications firms to more easily determine which bands are under-utilized in order to more efficiently deploy spectrum resources.[3]

Crisis Response

Using the company's satellites, HawkEye 360 can locate RF signals emitted by activated emergency beacons, which will decrease the time and effort of search and rescue operations. In instances of natural disasters, HawkEye 360 will be able to detect and assess the health of operational towers to ensure access to viable modes of communication for first responders and survivors.[34][25]

References

  1. ^ "HawkEye 360, Inc". Geospatial World. Retrieved May 14, 2023. HawkEye 360 is a Radio Frequency (RF) data analytics company. It operates a commercial satellite constellation to identify, process, and geolocate a broad set of RF signals. HawkEye 360 extract value from the data through proprietary algorithms, fusing it with other sources to create analytical products that solve challenges for global customers. The company products include maritime domain awareness and spectrum mapping and monitoring.
  2. ^ "HawkEye 360". www.eoportal.org. Retrieved May 14, 2023. With the initial Pathfinder mission launched in December 2018, HawkEye is a commercially owned and operated constellation of 15 microsatellites, with an additional six planned, developed by HawkEye 360 Inc. The mission provides spaceborne geolocation of radio frequency (RF) emitters, both terrestrial and aerial, for various commercial applications. The HawkEye microsatellites are launched in clusters of three, with the most recent launch occurring in May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Scoles, Sarah. "New Satellites Will Use Radio Waves to Spy on Ships and Planes". Wired. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020 – via www.wired.com.
  4. ^ McQuilkin, Kieran (July 16, 2019). "Moonshot: HawkEye 360 is Tracking the World's Radio Signals – From Space". www.americaninno.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "Deep Space Industries, SFL to Provide Satellites for HawkEye 360's Pathfinder Mission – Parabolic Arc". Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "HawkEye 360 closes Series A-3 round, Raytheon invests". September 11, 2018. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  7. ^ HawkEye 360, Inc. "Exhibit 1 - FCC Form 442 / HawkEye 360 Pathfinder Cluster / Item 7 and 8: Purpose of Experiment and Duration". Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "HawkEye 360 Competitors, Revenue and Alternatives". growjo.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "First Hawkeye 360 satellites pinpointing signals". SpaceNews. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "Hawkeye 360 unveils first RF signal mapping product". April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  11. ^ Werner, Debra (August 6, 2019). "HawkEye 360 raises $70 million Series B financing". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Bennett, Adam (October 24, 2019). "HawkEye 360 Expands Signal Catalog to Address New Markets". ePRNews. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  13. ^ Hitchens, Theresa (December 11, 2019). "NRO Contracts For Commercial Radio & Radar Sensing". Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  14. ^ Sheldon, John (December 18, 2019). "Hawkeye 360 RF Geolocation Company Awarded U.S. National Reconnaissance Office Study Contract". SpaceWatch.Global. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  15. ^ "FCC approves HawkEye 360 application for 15 satellites". SpaceNews. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  16. ^ "Satnews Publishers: Daily Satellite News". www.satnews.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Foust, Jeff (April 14, 2021). "HawkEye 360 raises $55 million". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Werner, Debra (November 9, 2021). "HawkEye 360 raises $145 million in Series D round". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Foust, Jeff (July 26, 2022). "HawkEye 360 opens satellite manufacturing facility in Virginia". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Erwin, Sandra (October 18, 2023). "HawkEye 360 raises $10 million in funding round extension". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "Launch Timeline". HawkEye 360. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Mishra, Shivam (December 19, 2023). "HawkEye 360 acquires RF Solutions from Maxar Intelligence". Verdict. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  23. ^ Bennett, Adam (April 8, 2024). "HawkEye 360 Achieves Successful Orbit Deployment of Clusters 8 & 9". HawkEye 360. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Werner, Debra (November 15, 2022). "SFL offers flexible support for HawkEye 360 constellation". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c "HawkEye - Satellite Missions - eoPortal Directory". directory.eoportal.org. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "HawkEye 360 Announces Successful Launch of First Three Satellites - HawkEye 360". December 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  27. ^ "Key Technologies for Commercial Radio Frequency Signal Mapping with Small Satellites « Earth Imaging Journal: Remote Sensing, Satellite Images, Satellite Imagery". Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  28. ^ "HawkEye 360 completes environmental testing of updated satellites". SpaceNews. July 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  29. ^ "HawkEye 360 Completes Milestone in Preparation to Launch Second Cluster". July 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  30. ^ Cutlip, Kimbra (August 10, 2016). "AIS | Vessel tracking challenges". Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  31. ^ "Maritime". Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  32. ^ a b "SatMagazine". www.satmagazine.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  33. ^ India Today Bureau (June 19, 2020). "Bridges, roads, water channelizing machinery: Satellite data shows China's long haul plans in Galwan Valley". India Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  34. ^ a b "SatMagazine". www.satmagazine.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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