Hawkeye 360 Cluster 13

On January 12, 2026, HawkEye 360 announced the successful launch and deployment of Cluster 13. The three satellites were developed on SFL’s 30-kg DEFIANT platform at the HawkEye 360 facility in Virginia under the direction of UTIAS-SFL as part of the Flex Production Program. They are identical to Cluster 12 launched on June 26, 2025.

The HawkEye 360 Constellation detects and geolocates RF signals for maritime situational awareness, emergency response, national security, and spectrum analysis applications. HawkEye 360 is the first to use formation-flying microsatellites for terrestrial RF signal detection. This data is analyzed for many commercial applications including maritime situational awareness, emergency response, national security, and spectrum mapping.

These Clusters add further depth and coverage to HawkEye 360’s constellation, supporting expanded frequency detection, improved revisit rates, and broader global reach. These advancements directly support the growing demand for signals intelligence to address challenges such as maritime domain awareness, air defense system detection, and GNSS interference monitoring.

HawkEye 360 selected SFL for its missions due to the importance of robust and accurate formation flying by multiple satellites for successful RF geolocation. The HawkEye 360 Constellation is a prime example of how SFL leverages its innovative technology and decades of experience to create low-cost, high-performance small satellites.