HawkEye 360 defers on larger constellation after spectrum coordination difficulties

The FCC on Dec. 10 approved HawkEye 360’s request for a 15-satellite constellation, six days after the company told the FCC its plans for an 80-satellite constellation were on hold due to interference concerns.  
SpaceNews.com

                        WASHINGTON — Signals intelligence startup HawkEye 360 asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to tap the brakes on its application to simultaneously operate up to 80 small satellites, saying it could only coordinate enough spectrum to confidently operate 15 satellites at a time without causing interference with government-owned satellites. 
Herndon, Virginia-based HawkEye 360 told the FCC in a Dec. 4 letter that in the 11 months since it initially requested the agency’s approval to launch, operate and replenish its constellation, it was unable to coordinate enough spectrum for as many satellites as first envisioned. 
The FCC on Dec. 10 approved HawkEye 360’s request for a 15-satellite constellation, six days after the company told the FCC its plans for an 80-satellite constellation were on hold due to interference concerns.  
HawkEye 360 has three pathfinder satellites in orbit today, and 15 more under construction by the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. The FCC said the first three satellites will not count towards the 15 since they were authorized under an experimental license. 
HawkEye 360’s letter to the FCC did not name the federal agencies involved in the spectrum coordination effort. However, the company said some of its transmissions would occur in limited frequencies to prevent interference with NASA, the Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
The FCC granted HawkEye 360 permission Dec. 10 to operate up to 15 satellites at a time, and to launch up to 80 satellites over the next 15 years so that it can replenish satellites as they retire. The company’s original Jan. 2 request was for up to 220 satellites over 15 years to maintain an 80-satellite constellation. 
HawkEye 360 said its 15-satellite constellation will operate in a polar, sun-synchronous orbit. The company is using ground stations from Norwegian company KSAT Satellite Services to communicate with its constellation. Those stations are based in Norway, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand and Antarctica, HawkEye 360 said. 
HawkEye 360 will fly its satellites in clusters of three or four, keeping them in tight formation to geolocate signals. Its satellites can detect signals from radars, handheld devices, satellite terminals and other transmitters, enabling the company to identify activity patterns in maritime, defense and other sectors. The company has raised more than $100 million, and counts the National Reconnaissance Office among its customers. 
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