Three HawkEye 360 Formation-Flying Microsatellites Built by Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) Successfully Launched

Carried aboard the June 30 SpaceX Transporter 2 mission, the Cluster 3 formation-flying microsatellites join in orbit the HawkEye 360 Cluster 2 and Cluster 1 Pathfinder satellites – all built by SFL.

The HawkEye 360 launch brings to 20 the total number of SFL satellites placed into orbit in less than a year. The Cluster 3 satellites were built on SFL’s space-proven 30-kg DEFIANT microsatellite bus.

“SFL congratulates HawkEye 360 on developing the world’s first commercial satellite constellation for radio frequency (RF) signal intelligence,” said SFL Director Dr. Robert E. Zee. “Contact has been made with all three Cluster 3 microsatellites. They are healthy and undergoing commissioning.”

The HawkEye 360 Constellation detects and geolocates RF signals for maritime situational awareness, emergency response, national security, and spectrum analysis applications. Cluster 3 significantly expands HawkEye 360’s global revisit and collection capacity, stated the Herndon, Va., company.