TL;DR / Executive Summary
- SpaceX’s fifth Bandwagon mission deployed new satellites for Xona, ICEYE, Tomorrow.io and HawkEye 360, four Seraphim portfolio companies.
- Xona launched six Pulsar satellites, ICEYE added four radar imaging satellites, Tomorrow.io launched two weather satellites, and HawkEye 360 deployed its three-satellite Cluster 15.
- The deployments expand capabilities across positioning and navigation, Earth observation, weather forecasting and radio-frequency intelligence.
[Credit: SpaceX]
Tuesday’s fifth SpaceX Bandwagon mission was a particularly busy one for the Seraphim portfolio. Launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the mission saw Xona, ICEYE, Tomorrow.io and HawkEye 360 all successfully deploy new spacecraft.
It’s a great snapshot of where SpaceTech is heading: increasingly capable commercial constellations providing data and infrastructure for mission-critical applications spanning navigation, Earth observation, weather and RF intelligence.
Xona Deploys First Pulsar Service Cluster
Xona deployed six Pulsar satellites and has made contact with all six. Four form the company’s first service cluster, a major milestone as Xona moves towards demonstrating a new space-based positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) service.
ICEYE Expands SAR Constellation with Four New Satellites
ICEYE launched four new synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, including two for Portugal’s Atlantic Constellation in collaboration with CTI Aeroespacial and the Portuguese Air Force. All four have already begun operations.
SAR’s ability to image through cloud and darkness makes it an increasingly important capability for persistent monitoring, from natural disasters and maritime activity to security and defence.
Tomorrow.io Accelerates Weather Constellation Build-Out
Tomorrow.io, meanwhile, launched its S14 and S15 microwave sounders, its third and fourth launches in just 19 days. The additional capability is helping drive revisit rates below one hour as the company builds out its proprietary weather satellite constellation.
HawkEye 360’s Cluster 15 Enters Operation
Finally, HawkEye 360’s three-satellite Cluster 15 successfully reached orbit and became operational. The latest spacecraft bring advanced antenna capabilities that enable the simultaneous collection of multiple RF signal types, further strengthening HawkEye 360’s space-based RF intelligence capabilities.
There’s more to come, too: HawkEye 360 is eyeing another launch this week, this time with Rocket Lab from New Zealand.
[Credit: SpaceX]
Four companies tackling four very different problems, but with a common theme: increasingly capable infrastructure in orbit delivering increasingly useful intelligence on Earth.
Congratulations to Xona, ICEYE, Tomorrow.io and HawkEye 360.
