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HawkEye 360

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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. It is a commercial seller of radio frequency (RF) signal location data gathered by a satellite constellation.[1][2]

History[edit]

In 2015, HawkEye 360 was founded with the idea of using space and RF technology to generate usable data by advanced signal geolocation using small satellites. The main idea was to collect and geolocate RF signals for commercial use.[3] The company received initial seed financing from Allied Minds, a Boston-based venture capital firm,[4] to expand the business.

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 (UTIAS) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL).[5] In November 2016, the company completed the initial Series A round; led by Razor's Edge Ventures with major participation from defense contractor Raytheon.[6] While waiting for the satellites to be built and launched, the company began exhibiting its technology through flight demonstrations[7] and successfully received a patent for determining the location of RF transmitters.[8]

The company's advisory board includes former members of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, retired Army and Air Force general officers, and former Intelligence Community leaders.[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] The satellites were built by UTIAS Space Flight Laboratories (SFL).[10] As of 2024, all satellites are still operational.

In April 2019, it released its first product - RFGeo, whose purpose is to identify and locate RF signals so customers can then view and analyze data.[11] In August 2019, the company announced a $70 million series B financing round.[12]

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 have the potential to aid the discovery of cross-border smuggling operations and poaching. The update to RFGeo includes a process to extract vessels' MMSI identifiers embedded into their channel 70 broadcasts. Once this happens, a specific vessel can be matched to its broadcast, enabled by emitter tracking of objects. The RFGeo update also includes a catalog of previously collected RF Geo data so customers can order and access archived data.[13]

In December 2019, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) granted HawkEye 360 a contract[14] to explore combining commercial RF capabilities into NRO's geospatial intelligence architecture.[15] 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.[10]

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 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 nine clusters to-date.[9][23] UTIAS SFL has supported the development of all 9 clusters, with some clusters built directly by SFL and others built in-house by HawkEye 360 with SFL providing technical support.[24]

Technology[edit]

At present, HawkEye 360 operates nine trios of compact satellites, known as clusters, which orbit the Earth at an 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 June 2024, 9 clusters have been launched (including the Pathfinder cluster), for a total of 27 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
8 Hawk 9 2024-066 7 April 2024 Falcon 9 Block 5 586 km x 591 km 45.6° 3 0

Uses[edit]

Maritime usage[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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. ^ a b "FCC approves HawkEye 360 application for 15 satellites". SpaceNews. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hawkeye 360 unveils first RF signal mapping product". April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Werner, Debra (August 6, 2019). "HawkEye 360 raises $70 million Series B financing". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Hitchens, Theresa (December 11, 2019). "NRO Contracts For Commercial Radio & Radar Sensing". Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  15. ^ 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.
  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. ^ 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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