Press release

BlackSky Begins Commercial Operations, Signs Agreement with HawkEye 360 to Include Radio Frequency Data in Its Geospatial Platform

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Today at the USGIF-sponsored GEOINT Symposium in San Antonio, BlackSky,
a leading provider of geospatial intelligence, satellite imaging, and
global monitoring services, announced it has signed an agreement with HawkEye
360
, the first commercial company to use formation-flying satellites
to create a new class of radio frequency (RF) data analytics. As part of
the agreement, HawkEye 360 will provide API access to selected RF data
for customers interested in global spectrum monitoring. BlackSky intends
to integrate data from HawkEye 360’s RF satellites into the BlackSky
geospatial platform and resell it to its customers as part of its
analytical services.

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https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190603005047/en/

BlackSky Begins Commercial Operations, Signs Agreement with HawkEye 360 to Include Radio Frequency D ...

BlackSky Begins Commercial Operations, Signs Agreement with HawkEye 360 to Include Radio Frequency Data in its Geospatial Platform (Photo: Business Wire)

“This is a very unique offering that provides key markets such as
defense, maritime, and emergency response, with a new layer of
high-impact geospatial intelligence,” said Brian O’Toole, CEO of
BlackSky. “Being able to access and visualize this data, fuse it with
other data sets, and analyze it within one platform is incredibly
valuable.”

“Our combined data sets provide unparalleled visibility into previously
undetected activity such as illegal fishing, sanctions violations, and
human trafficking,” said Chris DeMay, founder and CTO of HawkEye 360.
“By integrating HawkEye 360’s RF data into the BlackSky platform, users
can geolocate ships who have attempted to ‘go dark’ and tip-and-cue
BlackSky satellites for additional evidence of the illicit activity.
HawkEye is excited to partner with BlackSky to provide time-dominant,
multi-intelligence global awareness services.”

BlackSky officially began its commercial operations in early May, after
successfully completing several significant on-orbit milestones of its
first two Earth-imaging spacecraft, Global-1 and -2. All within the
BlackSky web-based platform, customers can easily task and acquire
imagery from the smallsats to track and monitor changes at locations of
interest. The company is scheduled to launch Global-3 and Global-4 in
the coming months and plans to launch four more satellites later this
year.

“Now that we have fully integrated our constellation with our global
intelligence platform and ground station network, we are delivering
mission-critical imaging and analytic solutions to our customers,” added
O’Toole.

Early users are recognizing BlackSky’s best-in-class order response and
image latency across a range of geographies. For example, an
international military organization cites the adaptiveness and
automation of the BlackSky constellation as vital for delivering
critical insights to troops on the ground and in the air. “BlackSky
understands and is committed to meeting our demands; it’s a critical
tool in developing daily intelligence reports.”

With eight satellites on orbit by the end of this year, BlackSky expects
to deliver more than five revisits per day over many sites of interest;
by 2020, with more than 16 smallsats on orbit, revisits will double and
provide hourly monitoring. Once on orbit, the 16 satellites will provide
frequent revisit rates of 95 percent of the Earth’s population. The
constellation’s goal is to provide a fast revisit rate critical for
monitoring global events or locations, as well as low latency.

For more information, please stop by the BlackSky exhibit (#1066) or
HawkEye 360’s exhibit (#1256) at the GEOINT Symposium June 3-5 at
the San Antonio Convention Center.

About HawkEye 360

Herndon, VA-based HawkEye 360 is a Radio Frequency (RF) data analytics
company. We operate a first-of-its-kind commercial satellite
constellation to identify, process, and geolocate a broad set of RF
signals. We extract value from this unique data through proprietary
algorithms, fusing it with other sources to create powerful analytical
products that solve hard challenges for our global customers. Our
products include maritime domain awareness and spectrum mapping and
monitoring; our customers include a wide range of commercial, government
and international entities. (www.he360.com)

About BlackSky:

BlackSky’s premier global monitoring and alerting services provide an
easy, affordable way to observe, analyze and act on timely and relevant
insights about the planet. BlackSky combines access to high-quality
satellite images from multiple sources, including its own planned
60-satellite constellation, with a diverse set of real-time sensor data
such as social media, news and other data feeds. Whether you’re tracking
economic assets, monitoring illegal maritime activity, or securing
troops and borders, BlackSky ensures you have the most current and
meaningful information at your fingertips so you can make well-informed
decisions. BlackSky is part of Spaceflight Industries and based in
Seattle, Wash. For more information, visit www.blacksky.com.