SNC scaling up its fleet of radio-frequency monitoring satellites

WASHINGTON — Aerospace and defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is set to expand its radio frequency (RF) satellite constellation, aiming to capture a larger share of the market for electronic emissions data. 

The company launched its first four RF sensing cubesats last year, built by Spire, marking its entry into this increasingly competitive field. SNC is now gearing up for a significant expansion, with plans to deploy a network of 20 satellites over the next five years.

Chris Morgan, SNC’s vice president, told SpaceNews the company sees a rising demand in the military sector for RF data, which can provide critical intelligence on activities like GPS jamming and enemy movements. The RF sensing market, he said, is also driven by commercial applications. 

RF sensing satellites can detect and geo-locate specific objects from low-Earth orbit by targeting radio emissions across various frequencies. 

SNC’s next launch, scheduled for June, will include three ESPA-class spacecraft manufactured by Muon Space, marking a shift towards larger satellites with increased data collection capabilities, Morgan explained. “We’re transitioning to larger satellites to get higher levels of capacity. This allows us to integrate AI directly into the processing chain,” meaning that more AI-enabled analysis of RF data can be done in space.

On-board AI

ESPA-class satellites can carry more powerful compute payload, Morgan noted. With the larger satellites, data downlink capacity will increase from the current 4 gigabytes per day collected by four cubesats to a projected 1.5 terabytes per day, he said. To be able to store and process much larger amounts of RF data, SNC is upgrading its ground infrastructure with a data lake architecture.

Morgan said SNC is keeping its options open when it comes to satellite sizes and manufacturers. “We view ourselves as an integrator,” he said. “We’re open to working with various satellite partners.” Meanwhile, the company is putting more focus on ground systems and AI-based analytics.

On the commercial front, he said, SNC is eyeing opportunities in the financial services sector and other industries “hungry for alternative data sets.” 

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