SFL Missions to Deliver Spacecraft Buses for HawkEye 360 RF Signal Detection Expansion

SFL Missions to Deliver Spacecraft Buses for HawkEye 360 RF Signal Detection Expansion
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2025

SFL Missions Inc. has secured a contract to build spacecraft bus units for three new HawkEye 360 satellite clusters, adding nine spacecraft to the company's expanding constellation for RF signal detection and geolocation. The order covers Cluster 14, which follows earlier designs, and Clusters 15 and 16, which incorporate advanced capabilities.

Through its Flex Production program, SFL Missions delivers bus units and subsystems derived from its 30-kg DEFIANT platform, designed in Toronto for HawkEye 360. These units are shipped to HawkEye 360's Herndon, Virginia, facility for integration, assembly, and testing.

HawkEye 360, headquartered in Herndon, is a leader in space-based signals intelligence and the first to deploy formation-flying microsatellites for terrestrial and maritime RF detection. Its data supports sectors such as emergency response, national security, spectrum mapping, and maritime awareness, with applications extending to GEOINT and ELINT.

To support HawkEye 360's payload, SFL Missions is supplying upgraded bus-level systems enabling concurrent data collection and downlink. Each spacecraft will feature enhanced antenna and radio systems capable of steering beams directly to ground stations, allowing real-time data transmission.

"Our collaboration with HawkEye 360 remains strong and productive. SFL Missions is pleased that HawkEye 360 continues to leverage our quality platforms to develop the small satellites that enable the core of its space-based RF signal detection constellation," said Dr. Robert E. Zee, Director of SFL Missions. "We look forward to enhancing the operational capabilities of HawkEye 360's spacecraft to meet the evolving needs of an expanding customer base."

SFL Missions will showcase its work at World Space Business Week 2025 in Paris from Sept. 15-19. The Flex Production program allows clients to initiate development at SFL's Toronto facility, then transition to mass production at their own or third-party sites, with the option to return to SFL for new designs or technology updates.

HawkEye 360 selected SFL Missions for its expertise in attitude control and formation flying, which are essential for precise RF geolocation. SFL's compact and cost-effective attitude determination systems and formation-flying technology continue to set benchmarks for performance and affordability in the microspace sector.