Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket ahead of HawkEye 360 launch. Photo: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab launched four satellites for HawkEye 360, including three radio frequency (RF) tracking satellites and one experimental satellite. 

The mission took place early morning on Friday, June 27 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, at 5:28 a.m. local time. Liftoff was 1:28 p.m. in Eastern time. After the launch, Rocket Lab confirmed the satellites were deployed to 520 km altitude in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) 

The three RF geolocating satellites for HawkEye 360 make up Cluster 12, which builds on the design of Clusters 9 through 11. It also includes a demonstration of a Ka-band downlink, which HawkEye said may enable higher data throughput in future operational scenarios. The RF geolocating satellites monitor contested maritime zones, detect GPS interference, and identify hostile or deceptive activity.

HawkEye 360 explained that Cluster 12 is the first to operate in a dawn/dusk local time of ascending node (LTAN) orbit, which “fills a critical gap in polar orbit coverage, enhancing revisit rates in high-latitude regions and extending timely signals intelligence to areas of growing strategic importance.” 

The fourth satellite is the experimental Kestrel-0A, which the company said will evaluate emerging capabilities and future technology enhancements.

“As the global landscape grows more complex, our commercial signals intelligence capabilities provide trusted, actionable signals intelligence that support national security priorities and allied mission success. With every launch, we deepen our role as a strategic enabler for those operating in contested and dynamic environments,” HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini said in a release. 

Rocket Lab noted this was HawkEye 360’s second launch with the company, and the first was Electron’s inaugural launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 in Virginia. It is part of a multi-launch contract with Rocket Lab.