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HawkEye 360 Inc. has announced that the company’s flagship RFGeo product can now map an expanded catalog of marine navigation radar signals to further improve global maritime situational awareness.

With this update, HawkEye 360 introduces the first S-band radar signal and quadruples the number of X-band radar signals in the company’s library. HawkEye 360 can now cover the most used frequencies for X-band magnetron-based radar systems, providing a more comprehensive view of maritime activity.

Vessels continuously operate marine radars to safely navigate from point to point and avoid nearby obstacles, making them an excellent means to track vessels that have otherwise ceased AIS transmissions and gone dark. Commercial vessels 300 gross tonnage or larger are required to be equipped with X-band radars (9 GHz).

The largest vessels also carry S-band radars (3 GHz) to penetrate deeper through rain or fog. Each new signal improves Hawkeye 360’s ability to develop vessel profiles. This data helps clients identify dark vessels that might be involved in illicit activities, such as smuggling or illegal fishing.

HawkEye 360’s RFGeo identifies and geolocates RF signals collected by HawkEye 360’s proprietary satellite constellation. RFGeo is the first commercially available product offering global spectrum awareness across a broad range of radio signals.

In addition to the newly announced signals, RFGeo can independently geolocate marine VHF marine radios, UHF push-to-talk radios, L-band mobile satellite devices, EPIRB marine emergency distress beacons, and vessel Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). HawkEye 360 is continually adding signals to the catalog to broaden the reach of RF identification across land, sea, and air domains.

Executive Comments

“We’re addressing critical gaps in Maritime Domain Awareness by revealing an entirely new data layer for vessel monitoring,” said John Serafini, Chief Executive Officer, HawkEye 360. “We’re excited to introduce our first signal in the S-band frequencies. By expanding our signal catalog, we’re not just collecting new and diverse RF data sets, we’re providing actionable intelligence to support the increasing number and scale of our customers’ missions.”

“Our customers need to maintain accurate and consistent visibility of vessels,” said Alex Fox, EVP for Business Development, Sales and Marketing, HawkEye 360. “Vessels are continuing to evade AIS detection to conduct illicit activities, making it difficult for organizations to identify and monitor their behaviors. We’re able to provide unique data sets that enable our customers to keep their finger on the pulse of vessel activity.”

Recent HawkEye 360 news…

HawkEye 360’s Keen Eye Adds More Defense Industry Expertise to their
Board of Directors

HawkEye 360 Reveals Iranian Tankers Evading Sanctions

Ball Aerospace was selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for four, six-month study contracts that will inform mission, spacecraft and instrument concepts for future operational weather architectures and Earth observation capabilities. Ball Aerospace is also collaborating on a fifth study contract awarded to L3Harris Technologies.

The five study contracts include:

• Auroral Imager in Tundra – Ball is working with Computational Physics, Inc. to perform a trade study of cost and performance between two promising technology strategies for a dedicated auroral imager in a highly elliptical Tundra orbit, long recognized as a useful vantage point for global auroral imaging. Auroral imagery provides important space weather situational awareness for users of technologies affected by auroral phenomena, such as power grids and aviation services.
• Ball Operational Weather Instrument Evolution (BOWIE) Microwave – This concept study will evaluate the baseline design of Ball’s BOWIE-M instrument and explore optimization of performance and cost. BOWIE-M leverages recent advances in microwave component miniaturization and advances in antenna technology to enable a future disaggregated constellation of low-cost, high-performance atmospheric sounding instruments. Approximately half the size of current instruments flying on operational polar-orbiting weather satellites, BOWIE-M is designed to deliver similar capability at reduced cost. Ball is collaborating with Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), a Verisk business, that will lead a trade analysis of the instrument design and performance.
• BOWIE Compact Hyperspectral Infrared Observations (CHIRO) – This instrument concept study will focus on technology and performance trades for a cost-effective, high-performance smallsat solution for hyperspectral infrared sounding from geostationary orbit. BOWIE Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) IR Sounder – Through this study, Ball will explore compact instrument designs to meet NOAA’s atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiling requirements, identifying technology roadmap options to address cost versus performance for infrared sounder instrument(s) for rapid insertion into Low-Earth Orbit.
• Joint LEO Sounding Mission Study – Ball is working with L3Harris and PlanetiQ for this mission concept study, which will evaluate an all-industry smallsat mission, hosting both microwave and infrared sounding instruments (provided by Ball and L3Harris, respectively), and GNSS-RO sounding sensors (provided by PlanetiQ). The team will also explore how the mission can be optimized for cost and performance while meeting the LEO sounding requirements of NOAA’s future operational weather architecture. Ball will also perform an accommodation assessment of the baseline instrument designs, from all study participants, using a Ball small satellite for insertion in various orbits. In addition to an instrument integration assessment, Ball will study commercial launch options to enable a delivery-on-orbit acquisition model for a complete sounding system that NOAA would own and operate.

“Operational weather satellites are a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure, playing a key role in keeping the public safe and the economy strong by enabling forecasters to predict and reduce the impacts of extreme weather events,” said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, VP and GM, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. “Through close coordination with the broader weather community, Ball developed a series of innovative technology and mission solutions to meet NOAA’s most critical space-based observational needs in an affordable and sustainable way, and these studies are a continuation of this effort.”

Recent Ball Aerospace news…

Anokiwave and Ball Aerospace Add Ku-Band Option to Phased Array Antennas

Ball Aerospace Initiating the Manufacturing of the USAF SMC’s WSF Satellite Following Successful CDR

Speaking of the DEMO-2 mission to the ISS, I’m very proud of the NASA and Space X team and the courage of Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. This event was something for the nation and world to rally around during these challenging times.

– Stephen Jurczyk

Mr. Stephen Jurczyk became NASA’s associate administrator, the agency’s highest-ranking civil servant position, effective May, 2018. Prior to this assignment he was the associate administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate, effective since June, 2015.  In this position he formulated and executed the agency’s Space Technology programs, focusing on developing and demonstrating transformative technologies for human and robotic exploration of the solar system in partnership with industry and academia.

He previously was Director at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. Named to this position in May 2014, he headed NASA’s first field Center, which plays a critical role in NASA’s aeronautics research, exploration and science missions.  Jurczyk served as Langley’s Deputy Center Director from August 2006 until his appointment as director.

Jurczyk began his NASA career in 1988 at Langley in the Electronic Systems Branch as a design and integration & test engineer developing several space-based Earth remote sensing systems.  From 2002 to 2004 Jurczyk was director of engineering, and from 2004 to 2006 he was director of research and technology at Langley where he led the organizations’ contributions to a broad range of research, technology and engineering disciplines contributing to all NASA mission areas.

Jurczyk received several awards during his NASA career, including two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive in 2006, and the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive in 2016 — the highest honors attainable for federal government leadership.

Jurczyk is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1984 and 1986.  He is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

HawkEye 360 Inc. has announced that the company’s flagship RFGeo product can now map an expanded catalog of marine navigation radar signals to further improve global maritime situational awareness.

With this update, HawkEye 360 introduces the first S-band radar signal and quadruples the number of X-band radar signals in the company’s library. HawkEye 360 can now cover the most used frequencies for X-band magnetron-based radar systems, providing a more comprehensive view of maritime activity.

Vessels continuously operate marine radar to avoid nearby obstacles and safely navigate from point to point, making it an excellent signal to track vessels that have otherwise ceased AIS transmissions and gone dark. Commercial vessels 300 gross tonnage or larger are required to be equipped with X-band radars (9 GHz). The largest vessels also carry S-band radars (3 GHz) to penetrate deeper through rain or fog. Each new signal improves HawkEye 360’s ability to develop vessel profiles and help clients identify dark vessels that might be involved in illicit activities, such as smuggling or illegal fishing.

HawkEye 360’s RFGeo identifies and geolocates RF signals collected by HawkEye 360’s proprietary satellite constellation. RFGeo is the first commercially available product offering global spectrum awareness across a broad range of radio signals. In addition to the newly announced signals, RFGeo can independently geolocate VHF marine radios, UHF push-to-talk radios, L-band mobile satellite devices, EPIRB emergency distress beacons, and vessel Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). HawkEye 360 is continually adding signals to the catalog to broaden the reach of RF identification across land, sea, and air domains.

Executive Comments

“We’re addressing critical gaps in Maritime Domain Awareness by revealing an entirely new data layer for vessel monitoring,” said John Serafini, CEO, HawkEye 360. “We’re excited to introduce our first signal in the S-band frequencies. By expanding our signal catalog, we’re not just collecting new and diverse RF data sets, we’re providing actionable intelligence to support the increasing number and scale of our customers’ missions.”

“Our customers need to maintain accurate and consistent visibility of vessels,” said Alex Fox, EVP for Business Development, Sales and Marketing, HawkEye 360. “Vessels are continuing to evade AIS detection to conduct illicit activities, making it difficult for organizations to identify and monitor their behaviors. We’re able to provide unique data sets that enable our customers to keep their finger on the pulse of vessel activity.”

Recent HawkEye 360 news

HawkEye 360’s Keen Eye Adds More Defense Industry Expertise to their Board of Directors

HawkEye 360 Reveals Iranian Tankers Evading Sanctions

HawkEye 360 Reveals Coronavirus Effect on Italy’s Maritime Sector

Rocket engineers at Gilmour Space Technologies in Queensland, Australia, have completed the first in a series of major technology demonstrations this year — a successful 45-second ‘hot fire’ of their upper-stage hybrid rocket engine.

Unlike most commercial launch vehicles fueled by solid- or liquid-propulsion engines, Gilmour Space is developing new cost-effective, safe and green hybrid-propulsion technologies.

2020, the year of testing

As with most companies in Australia, Gilmour Space has been impacted by the severe bushfires and global COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, the company is tracking to complete a number significant tests this year, including a series of low-altitude flight tests of their guidance, navigation and control systems, a thrust vector control system test, and a more powerful static fire of their first-stage rocket engine.

Now with 50 employees in the company’s Gold Coast rocket facility, Gilmour Space is pushing the frontiers of Australian manufacturing and growth across the commercial, civil and defence space.

In December last year, the company signed a Strategic Statement of Intent with the Australian Space Agency to demonstrate its commitment to delivering ‘Access to Space’ as a civil priority area. In May, it signed a collaboration agreement with Australia’s Defence Science Technology Group to work on technologies that will enable sovereign launch capabilities in Australia.

Executive Comment

“This was our longest and most efficient test fire to date,” said Gilmour Space CEO and Co-Founder, Adam Gilmour. “It’s a key demonstration of our ability to produce repeatable, stable, and high-performance combustion over a long duration burn; and a significant achievement in hybrid rocket development,” he added. “This engine will have the capability to power the upper stage of our Eris orbital launch vehicle, and deliver our customer payloads to required orbits. Our next test will be a full duration mission duty cycle firing of this engine.” He added, “Clearly, the momentum for launch is building here. With the right focus, investment, and hopefully a ready launch site by 2022, we believe that space could be a significant future industry for Australia – one that builds on our advanced manufacturing capabilities, and offers real opportunities for jobs, recovery and growth.”

Recent Gilmour Space news…

Strategic Space Technologies Agreement Signed by Gilmour Space with the Australian Defense Science Technology Group

Gilmour Space Receives Millions in Funding for Australian Government Flight-Ready Cryotanks

Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) announced it has completed delivery of 15 S-band Software Defined Radios (SDR) in support of a smallsat constellation mission being developed by Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company.

TUI delivered all 15 radios on schedule, demonstrating success in its efforts to stand up a radio production line capable of meeting the aggressive timelines of small satellite constellation program.  The deliveries also included the first small satellite mesh networking solution to support inter-satellite data transfer.

The SWIFT-SLX radio is a compact, affordable software defined radio designed to provide S-band and L-band communications for small satellites.  Its suite of “software defined apps” make it readily configurable to support a wide range of mission needs, from aviation to cislunar missions. TUI supports a wide range of band frequencies and makes an effort to work with the customer to meet their requirements. The SWIFT-SLX SDR has 11 units flying in LEO orbit and several dozen more in the launch pipeline.

Tethers Unlimited’s SWIFT-SLX SDR.

TUI has had a long-standing partnership on advanced space technologies with Millennium dating back over a decade.

Dr. Robert Hoyt

“Hitting this delivery rate has taken substantial investments in automating our radio testing infrastructure,” said Dr. Rob Hoyt, TUI’s President. “The space industry has traditionally focused on producing satellite components one at a time, and there wasn’t much experience in the industry with mass production.  We’ve brought in experts in lean production from outside the space industry, and that has paid off in a transformation of our radio manufacturing capability.”

“The culture of collaboration and teamwork between both Millennium Space Systems and Tethers Unlimited has contributed to this and many other past successes.” said Seckin Secilmis, TUI’s COO.

Recent Tethers Unlimited news…

Tethers Unlimited to Participate in NASA’s PUNCH Mission

AMERGINT Holdings Tethers … Through Acquisition … Tethers Unlimited

Space Networking Solution for Smallsats Unveiled by Tethers Unlimited

LeoStella, a specialized satellite constellation design and manufacturer, has delivered their first, two, fully manufactured satellites from the firm’s state-of-the-art production line.

The satellites are the fifth and sixth of an ongoing Earth Observation (EO) constellation program for the global monitoring company, BlackSky.

LeoStella’s intelligent manufacturing facility opened in 2019 and is the first of its kind. The satellites were delivered to the launch facility on June 1, 2020, and have been prepared for an upcoming SpaceX launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. LeoStella’s ability to minimize costs and reduce development and manufacturing time helps meet the increasing demand for satellite constellations in a time sensitive ecosystem.

LeoStella’s new production facility was developed to change the way satellites and constellations are produced to better meet the needs of agile space customers. The factory is a fully digital and networked environment that includes intelligent workstations, connected tools, automated test equipment, statistical process control, embedded product assurance, and a custom Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) backbone that manages and tracks all activities. Coupled with the manufacturing process is a robust supply chain of industry leaders with a focus on advanced technologies that help LeoStella offer an exceptional value proposition for its customers.

The satellites weigh approximately 50-kilograms and are designed to be operated in a variety of LEO orbit altitudes and inclinations. They are compatible with a wide range of rideshare and dedicated launch vehicles. The satellites are based on a product optimized for imaging missions with high resolution, agility and stability and can be configured for alternate missions and payloads.

Based in Tukwila, Washington, LeoStella is a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space and Spaceflight Industries.

“Successful delivery of these two BlackSky satellites marks another major milestone in LeoStella’s promise of rapid, low-cost, high-performance satellite constellations,” said Mike Hettich, CEO of LeoStella. “In a short time, we have created the designs, infrastructure, tools, and processes that enable constellation production at scale. Delivery of these satellites provides an important validation of our approach. It’s exciting to see the team bring our vision to reality.”

“LeoStella is a key partner in extending our global monitoring constellation,” said Brian O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “Their intelligent design and inventive manufacturing have established LeoStella as a leader in new space economics. Consequently, we’re able to deliver valuable first-to-know insights at a cost that makes it accessible for both business and government customers.”

Successes abound with smallsat launch after smallsat launch with turnaround times bound to please…

Peter Beck is the founder and chief executive of Rocket Lab, a space systems company and the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch. Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab builds and launches rockets and satellites that provide access to space for organizations like NASA, the NRO, DARPA, the United States Air Force and the commercial space sector.

An associate professor in space systems, Peter led the development of ground-breaking Electron launch vehicle, which in 2019 was the 4th most frequently launched rocket in the world. Peter also leads the satellite division at Rocket Lab which is making it faster and easier to get the ideas of tomorrow on orbit today.

Rocket Labs’ ‘Birds of a Feather’ launch for the NRO.
Photo is courtesy of the company.

Rocket Lab has signed a launch agreement with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for two back-to-back, dedicated smallsat missions aboard an Electron launch vehicle.

The missions were awarded through the NRO’s Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract, an initiative that enables the agency to explore new opportunities for launching small satellites through a streamlined, commercial approach. The RASR-3 and RASR-4 missions are scheduled for launch within weeks of each other in late spring 2021 from two separate pads at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 (LC-1).

By launching the missions separately from pads LC-1A and LC-1B, Rocket Lab is able to eliminate the pad recycle time typically required when launching from a single pad. This unique ability enables Rocket Lab to launch missions just days or even hours apart, making truly responsive space a reality for small satellite operators and the U.S. national security community.

Construction of Launch Complex 1 Pad B commenced in December 2019 and will be complete by the end of this year. Pad LC-1B is Rocket Lab’s third launch pad, joining the existing pad at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, as well as the new pad at Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, USA.

The RASR-3 and RASR-4 missions follow on from two recent Rocket Lab launches for the NRO; the ‘Birds of a Feather’ mission in January 2020, and the ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ mission in June 2020.

“Maintaining resilient space architecture and having the ability to deploy assets exactly when and where they’re needed is paramount for U.S. national security in these dynamic times,” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO. “We’re proud to continue enabling that flexible, responsive space access and once again deliver a proven launch solution for the NRO and the nation.”

Lars Hoffman, Rocket Lab’s SVP of Global Launch Services, said, “Given the threat to space capabilities posed by potential adversaries, there simply cannot be a waiting room to get on orbit. With Electron launch vehicles on standby for rapid call-up and three launch pads capable of supporting up to 130 missions per year, we stand ready to respond to the national security community’s needs with speed and precision, every time. We look forward to working with the dedicated team at the NRO once again for these important missions.”

A Long March-2D carrier rocket, carrying the satellite Gaofen-9 03, is launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Northwest China’s Gansu province, June 17, 2020.
Photo is courtesy of Xinhua

China has launched a new Earth observation satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center that is in northwest China — the launch occurred at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time).

The satellite — Gaofen-9 (03) — was sent into orbit by a Long March-2D carrier rocket. This is an optical remote-sensing satellite with a resolution up to the sub-meter level.

The satellite will be mainly used for land survey, city planning, land right confirmation, road network design, crop yield estimation and disaster prevention and mitigation, as well as providing information for the construction of the Belt and Road.

Via the same carrier rocket, two other satellites were also sent into space. One of them, developed by Zhejiang University, will be used to test smallsat technologies.

The other satellite, developed by Beijing-based China HEAD Aerospace Technology Co., will be used to collect global information on ship and flight statuses and the Internet of Things.

Wednesday’s launch was the 335th mission of the Long March rocket series.