The Cluster 6 launch brings the number of orbiting satellites in the HawkEye 360 constellation to 15, and allows revisit times of an hour for any specific place anywhere in the world. The data gathered is processed on the ground using proprietary algorithms. Though small, they are capable of gathering signals from 144 MHz to 18 GHz through software-defined radios. These satellites are approximately 30 by 30 by 45 centimeters in size, and each holds two payloads. Another antenna can pick up GPS interference.Īrtist’s impression of HawkEye 360 satellites in orbit. The current Cluster 6 satellites feature eight antennae that collect data from across the electromagnetic spectrum in the UHF, VHF, X-band, L-band, and S-band range one of the antennae is dedicated to GNSS (global navigation satellite services). HawkEye 360’s satellites fly in formation using a specially designed propulsion system.
Beginning with the Cluster 1 launch aboard the Spaceflight SSO-A rideshare mission on a Falcon 9, 12 satellites are currently in orbit. The HawkEye 360 Cluster 6 satellites to be launched on this flight are designed to provide global commercial radio frequency analytic services to government and private customers as part of a constellation that began launching in December 2018. This will allow greater mid-latitude coverage for Hawkeye 360’s existing constellation of RF signal-gathering satellites, which have been launched in clusters of three since its inception. The Electron rocket, which was not intended to be recovered on this flight, launched three satellites for Virginia-based HawkEye 360 into a 550-kilometer circular orbit inclined 40.5 degrees to the equator. The flight was the first Electron to lift off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex-2 (LC-2) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Upper-level winds prevented multiple attempts in December of last year, and teams had to stand down until 2023 due to holiday travel airspace restrictions.
After weather and paperwork-related delays, the mission named “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” lifted off at the opening of a two-hour window at 6:00 PM EST (23:00 UTC) on Tuesday, Jan. Rocket Lab, which has operated its Electron small-satellite launcher successfully from New Zealand since 2017, as now inaugurated its first US-based launch site.
0 kommentar(er)
