Spotlight Q&A

Spotlight Q&A

John Serafini, CEO of HawkEye 360, has over a decade of experience investing in and leading national security oriented technology companies. John leads the company, which develops space-based radio frequency (RF) collection, mapping, and analytic capabilities. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Allied Minds, where he led the formation, financing and management of HawkEye 360, along with other Allied Minds companies such as BridgeSat, Federated Wireless, and Percipient Networks (WatchGuard acquired). A former Airborne Ranger-qualified US Army infantry officer, John is a graduate of the US Military Academy, Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

JED: Over the past year, HawkEye 360 has launched its fourth and fifth satellite clusters, with a sixth cluster scheduled for launch in December. How many satellites will the company have in orbit by the end of the year, and how will these last few launches improve RF geolocation coverage for customers?

Serafini: So far this year, our satellites and their enhanced capabilities have quadrupled the amount of data we collect to help meet high commercial and government customer demand. With the number of satellites we have on orbit currently, we are able to collect data up to 16 times per day over key regions to provide a new layer of insight for users across the US government, allied governments and commercial and noncommercial partners.
By the end of 2022, with the Cluster 6 launch, we expect to have 15 of our next-gen satellites in orbit. This upcoming flight with Rocket Lab will be the company’s first home state launch on Wallops Island, VA. Cluster 6 will also be the company’s first cluster of satellites to reach an inclined orbit to expand revisits over the mid-latitude range, pushing us below an hourly collection for key regions customers are demanding.

To read the rest of this interview at JEDonline, click here.