Cluster 6 Satellites Launched by HawkEye 360 Begins Operation
The Cluster 6 satellites launched for HawkEye 360 by Rocket Lab from Virginia in January have begun operation. The rapidly growing constellation can collect up to 24 times per day over a region of interest, as often as once every hour. The enhanced payloads and an additional ground station optimizes the speed for delivering increased quantity and quality of data to customers around the world.
"This latest cluster boosts revisit rates over the mid-latitude regions, enhancing the diversity of our data sets and allowing us to uncover a new dimension of global knowledge into human activities and behavior."
HawkEye 360 COO Rob Rainhart.
"The continued expansion of our RF-sensing satellite constellation and the addition of our sixth ground station positions HawkEye 360 to serve the increasing demand for global RF-based Intelligence," said HawkEye 360 Chief Operating Officer, Rob Rainhart. "This latest cluster boosts revisit rates over the mid-latitude regions, enhancing the diversity of our data sets and allowing us to uncover a new dimension of global knowledge into human activities and behavior."
Cluster 6 Satellites Increase Coverage in Mid-Latitude Regions
The commissioning of these three satellites expands HawkEye 360's constellation to 18 satellites with enhanced data collection in the 15 -18 GHz frequency range. The Cluster 6 satellites are the first cluster to enter an inclined orbit, allowing the company to collect more data in high-demand mid-latitude regions.
The company has also activated a new ground station in Maui, Hawaii, composed of three antennas with dedicated access to its satellites. With six strategically placed ground stations HawkEye 360 can provide more timely delivery of tactically relevant data to our customers.
"Cluster 6 was placed in an inclined orbit to address the growing demand for RF Intelligence in the mid-latitude regions of the earth. As political and military tensions increase in these regions, the need for tactically relevant data is even more critical to detect, assess, and respond to threats," said HawkEye 360 Chief Growth Officer, Alex Fox. "With our new collection modes and frequency coverage, we are expanding our products and services to address the rapidly evolving RF Intelligence needs of our clients."
HawkEye 360 will continue expanding the constellation to address clients' increasing demands for RF Intelligence, aiming for a total of 60 satellites (20 clusters of three satellites). HawkEye 360 anticipates the launch of 3 additional clusters in 2023, with its seventh cluster of satellites slated to launch in April.
(Source: HawkEye 360 news release. Images from file)