HawkEye 360 adds pair of satellites via acquisition
Artist's rending of a HawkEye 360 Cluster 7 satellite. Courtesy of HawkEye 360
By
Ross Wilkers
HawkEye 360 is also bringing in a database of radio frequency data through its purchase of a now-former Maxar business unit.
HawkEye 360, an operator of satellites that track radio frequency activity, has completed an acquisition to further build up its data gathering capacity with a particular focus on government intelligence users.
Herndon, Virginia-headquartered HawkEye 360 also adds two more satellites to its 21 already in-orbit through the purchase of a business called RF Solutions, which was formerly owned by Maxar Intelligence. Terms of the transaction announced Monday were not disclosed.
Maxar Intelligence is one of two companies that have formed out of Maxar Technologies, which private equity firm Advent Technologies acquired in the spring for approximately $6.4 billion including debt.
RF Solutions also brings to HawkEye 360 both a lineup of intellectual property and database of radio frequency collections, while the two additional satellites also further build out HawkEye 360's frequency coverage range.
“The on-orbit assets and expertise of the RF Solutions group from Maxar Intelligence brings a complementary capability to HawkEye 360,” HawkEye 360's president Rob Rainhart said in a release. “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."
Founded in 2015, HawkEye 360's satellites work to identify and geolocate radio frequency data for users in both the government landscape and certain commercial sectors. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office are among the company's federal customers.
“This acquisition will enable the exploration of new market segments, including the potential to support the burgeoning needs of commercial telecommunication operators," HawkEye 360's chief strategy officer Patrick Zeitouni said.
Over the course of this year, HawkEye 360 fetched $68 million in Series D-1 funding that raised the company's total amount of raised capital to $378 million. Lockheed Martin's venture capital arm also joined the group of investors in HawkEye 360 this year as part of that.
HawkEye 360 is aiming to launch a dozen more satellites in 2024 from the 23 it will have in tow including those from RF Solutions, which Maxar stood up in the spring following its acquisition of Aurora Insight.