HawkEye 360

HawkEye 360 is a geospatial analytics company operating the world's first commercial constellation for radio frequency signal detection and geolocation from space. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, HawkEye 360 provides RF intelligence for maritime domain awareness, spectrum management, emergency response, and national security applications.

In 2024, HawkEye 360 significantly expanded its constellation with multiple satellite cluster launches. Clusters 8 and 9 launched on SpaceX Bandwagon-1 in April 2024, followed by Cluster 10 in August 2024 bringing the constellation to 30 RF geolocation microsatellites, and Cluster 11 in December 2024. The company aims to operate 36 satellites across 12 clusters, with each cluster containing three satellites working together to trilaterate RF signals.

Each HawkEye satellite features software-defined radios capable of detecting a wide range of radio frequencies simultaneously. When all three satellites in a cluster detect a common signal, they trilaterate its location with high accuracy. This capability enables detection and tracking of vessels with AIS transponders disabled, emergency beacon localization for search and rescue, and spectrum management analysis.

HawkEye 360 acquired Maxar Intelligence's RF Solutions business in December 2023, expanding spectrum scanning capabilities. The company provides RF data to government and commercial customers for maritime situational awareness, illegal fishing detection, sanctions enforcement, and defense intelligence applications. HawkEye 360 continues expanding constellation capacity to meet growing demand for space-based RF geolocation services.