HawkEye 360 Inc., a defense technology company for space-based radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, announced the acquisition of RF Solutions from Maxar Intelligence, a provider of secure, precise, geospatial intelligence. RF Solutions was formed from the Aurora Insight acquisition that Maxar Intelligence completed in January 2023.
“The on-orbit assets and expertise of the RF Solutions group from Maxar Intelligence brings a complementary capability to HawkEye 360,” said HawkEye 360 President Rob Rainhart. “Our existing satellites do very well at precise geolocation and characterization of signals. This technology from the former Aurora Insight team will allow HawkEye 360 to quickly scan gigahertz of bandwidth to efficiently map active frequencies at a regional level. We look forward to rapidly integrating these powerful capabilities and talented personnel into the company to further accelerate the value we bring to our clients.”
With this acquisition, HawkEye 360 gains ownership of two existing RF satellites (Charlie and Delta), RF scanning intellectual property, and a multi-year global database rich in RF collections ranging from 1.4 GHz to 40 GHz. The additional satellites will enable HawkEye 360 to expand frequency coverage to include 26 to 40 GHz. This broader range will enhance customer understanding of the signal activity occurring in each region of the world.
“We see meaningful business potential for this wideband scanning mission to accelerate our discovery of new signals and expand our capacity to serve government intelligence users,” said HawkEye 360 Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Zeitouni. “This acquisition will enable the exploration of new market segments, including the potential to support the burgeoning needs of commercial telecommunication operators.”
The two new satellites bring HawkEye 360’s total constellation to 23 satellites and facilitate the detection, characterization, and geolocation of radio frequency signals from a broad range of emitters used for communication, navigation, and security. HawkEye 360 will continue expanding the constellation to address clients’ increasing demands for RF Intelligence, aiming to launch a dozen more satellites in 2024.