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Tag: satellite

Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: JOHN SERAFINI

Serafini founded his geospatial analytics company in 2015. From its constellation of satellites, HawkEye 360 collects radio frequency data that can identify and track human activity and trends for military, maritime and intelligence clients. It has helped detect illegal fishing for the Australian government, and in Ukraine, it tracked Russian troop movements.

Last year, Serafini helped organize the Space Industry for Ukraine (SIFU), an initiative that saw 23 companies donate nearly $900,000 in capital to aid victims and refugees from the war in Ukraine.

Also in 2022, HawkEye 360 opened a 19,000-square-foot satellite production facility. In January, Rocket Lab USA deployed three HawkEye 360 satellites into orbit from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. 

Serafini was previously senior vice president of Allied Minds, the venture capital firm that helped launch HawkEye 360. He serves on the board of advisers for the National Security Space Association and is a board member for the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.

A former Army infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division, Serafini graduated from West Point and has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

SOMEWHERE I’D LIKE TO VISIT: The Vatican

Rocket Lab launches first mission from U.S. soil

After more than a month’s delay, Rocket Lab USA’s first launch from U.S. soil at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Accomack County blasted off Tuesday evening.

The mission, “Virginia is for Launch Lovers,” lifted off around 6 p.m. EST from the company’s Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within the NASA facility, sending its 60-foot-tall Electron rocket into space, where it successfully deployed three satellites into low Earth orbit for Herndon-based satellite analytics company HawkEye 360.

About 90 seconds after lift off, Electron’s nine Rutherford engines were propelling the rocket at speeds of about 3,000 kilometers per hour, or more than 1,800 miles per hour, according to video of the launch.

The Electron rocket launch from Virginia supplements Rocket Lab’s New Zealand-based Launch Complex 1 from which 31 Electron missions have previously taken off. Combined, the two pads can support more than 130 launch opportunities every year, Rocket Lab said in a news release. Launch Complex 2, which was built for Electron, is expected to support up to 12 missions annually.

“We’re immensely proud to have delivered mission success for HawkEye 360,” Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. “With Launch Complex 2, we set out to create a new path to orbit from U.S. soil after more than 30 Electron launches from New Zealand, and what could be more fitting for the first Virginia mission than launching a Virginia-built satellite? We couldn’t ask for better mission partners in HawkEye 360 and Virginia Space, and we look forward to many more missions together.”

The mission is the first of three planned with HawkEye 360 through 2024 as the company seeks to boost its ability to collect radio frequency data across the globe and expands its constellation to 18 satellites. HawkEye opened a new, 19,000-square-foot facility in Herndon in July to boost production of its satellites.

“We are happy to report that our Cluster 6 next-generation satellites have reached orbit and we look forward to ramping up operations in the weeks ahead and fully integrating them into our constellation,” HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini said in a statement. “We are grateful for our valued mission partners, Rocket Lab and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, who worked alongside our fantastic HawkEye 360 team to make this inaugural Virginia launch a success.”

Rocket Lab initially announced in November 2022 that it had established a 13-day launch window in December 2022. That was set following progress by NASA in certifying its Autonomous Flight Termination Unit software, which is required to enable Electron launches from Virginia. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility blamed unfavorable weather conditions and range/airspace availability for delays on its social media.

Electron’s first U.S. launch brings even more visibility to Virginia’s Eastern Shore as well as to the state’s space industry. Rocket Lab announced in February 2022 that it had selected Wallops Island as the location for its launch site and a new manufacturing and assembly complex for its new, reusable Neutron rocket, a move that is expected to bring 250 jobs.

“We are honored to support the launch of this historic mission,” Ted Mercer, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, known as Virginia Space, said in a statement. Virginia Space owns and operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops. “In addition to being Rocket Lab’s first and only U.S. launch location, we will also be building rockets and processing their payload right here in Accomack County — something that has never been done in Virginia. Our partnership with Rocket Lab is a unique opportunity for the commonwealth of Virginia to create long-term economic development opportunities in the form of high-paying jobs, launch viewing tourism, and construction of new facilities on the Eastern Shore.”

 

Rocket Lab announces December Va. launch window

Rocket Lab USA Inc. will launch the first U.S. mission for its Electron rocket from a launch pad on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Accomack County during a 13-day window that opens Dec. 7.

The company announced the Wallops launch Thursday. The mission, called “Virginia is for Launch Lovers,” will deploy satellites for Herndon-based HawkEye 360 and will be Rocket Lab’s first liftoff from the company’s Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within the NASA facility. The launch pad was built for the company’s Electron rocket and is the company’s first launch site in the United States.

California-based Rocket Lab announced in February that it selected Wallops Island as the location for its launch site and a new manufacturing and assembly complex for its new Neutron rocket. The Electron rocket launch from Virginia will supplement its Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, from which 31 Electron missions have previously taken off. Combined, the two pads can support more than 130 launch opportunities every year, Rocket Lab said in a news release.

The Electron is a small, two-stage, partially recoverable orbital launch rocket that stands about 60 feet high and measures about four feet in diameter. Rocket Lab has flown 32 Electron missions, including three failed missions, since the first Electron flight in 2017.

The December launch window has been set following progress by NASA in certifying its Autonomous Flight Termination Unit software, which is required to enable Electron launches from Virginia.

“We are honored and excited to bring a new launch capability to Virginia’s Eastern Shore,” Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. “Electron is well established as the leader in small launch, reliably serving the responsive space needs of the commercial, civil, DoD (Department of Defense), and national security markets alike. With our inaugural mission from Launch Complex 2, we are immensely proud to expand on this strong launch heritage by enabling a new capability for the nation from Virginian soil. We look forward to making history this December with our dedicated mission partners HawkEye 360, NASA and Virginia Space.”

The Electron launch in December is the first of three it will undertake for HawkEye 360 in a contact to deliver 15 satellites to low Earth orbit between 2022 and 2024. Rocket Lab will also provide HawkEye 360 with separation systems produced by Planetary Systems Corporation, a Maryland-based space hardware company acquired by Rocket Lab in December 2021.

“We’re proud to be a Virginia-based company, with Virginia-developed technology, launching out of the Virginia spaceport,” HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini said in a statement. “We selected Rocket Lab because of the flexibility it enables for us to place the satellites into an orbit tailored to benefit our customers. Deploying our satellites on Rocket Lab’s inaugural launch is a giant leap in Virginia’s flourishing space economy.”

HawkEye opened a new, 19,000-square-foot facility in Herndon in July to boost production of its satellites.

With the December launch of the satellites, its sixth cluster of three, HawkEye will have placed 15 next-generation satellites into orbit within two years. A seventh cluster is anticipated to launch in February, followed by clusters 8 and 9 mid-2023. Once its latest cluster is commissioned, HawkEye will be able to collect radio frequency data as frequently as every hour anywhere in the world, the company said in a news release.

NASA’s Wallops visitor center will be open for the launch.  A live webcast will also be available at www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream from around T-40 minutes.

SES completes $450M purchase of Leonardo DRS satellite biz

Reston-based satellite telecommunications company SES Government Solutions has completed its $450 million acquisition of Arlington-based Leonardo DRS Inc.’s Global Enterprise Solutions satellite communications subsidiary following receiving regulatory approval.

SES Government Solutions, a subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based satellite telecommunications network company, announced the deal’s completion Aug. 1. Leonardo DRS, a subsidiary of Italian defense contractor Leonardo SpA, agreed to the sale in March. The combined businesses are led by David Fields, who previously served as senior vice president and general manager at Leonardo DRS. He succeeds retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Pete Hoene, who retired after 11 years at SES GS.

The combination of the businesses will “create a scaled solutions provider serving the multi-orbit satellite communications needs of the U.S. government” and support missions on land, sea or in the air, the company said in a news release. Its workforce will be able to integrate and manage multi-orbit geostationary and medium earth orbit (MEO) services as well as multi-operator network solutions, including  SES’s soon-to-be launched O3b mPOWER system. The company said it expects to save $25 million annually on redundancies created by the merger. Government will become SES’s largest data business segment in terms of revenue.

Under Hoene, SES GS grew by 30% in the last five years, Billy Bingham, a retired Air Force brigadier general who chairs SES GS’s proxy board, said in a statement.

“I am extremely excited about the potential that this combination unleashes, reinforcing our commitment to provide best-in-class satellite network solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense customers,” Bingham said. “We are delighted to welcome Fields, who comes to SES GS with extensive knowledge and expertise in the satellite communications industry and a demonstrated record of achievement in the U.S. Government sector. Well-respected by industry partners and customers, he has developed deep and trusted relationships with many U.S. Government agencies, and we anticipate David to build on his success through his leadership of the combined business.”

In March, Leonardo DRS CEO Bill Lynn said the company was shifting its portfolio focus and that divesting its satellite business would allow the company to consider larger acquisitions to strengthen core capabilities and open new business opportunities. In June, the company announced it would merge with Israel-based Rada Electronic Industries Ltd. and become a public company later in 2022.

Fields now takes on the role of president and CEO of SES GS.

“I am excited to join SES GS and honored to lead the combined team where we will be delivering best-in-class solutions and state-of-the-art multi-orbit satellite networking capabilities,” Fields said in a statement. “SES GS will be significantly expanding its differentiated value proposition for the U.S. government, with a trusted multi-operator network integration and service management solutions. The breadth of our capabilities, now spanning both connectivity and integration, allows for building, managing and supporting the most advanced satellite networks solutions for our U.S. government customers.”

HawkEye 360 opens satellite manufacturing center

Herndon-based HawkEye 360 Inc. has opened a new facility to boost production of its satellites.

The 19,000-square-foot center will also allow the company to streamline satellite integration, accelerate introduction of new capabilities and provide stronger security, allowing it to meet defense and intelligence customer requirements. The new facility also includes a clean room and electronics lab for advanced radio frequency technology and small satellite manufacturing, as well as room for data processing, software and payload development and constellation operations.

HawkEye 360’s satellites were previously built in Canada and finished on site in Herndon, CEO John Serafini told Virginia Business. The company will still continue to work with their Canadian partner, doubling its production to 12 satellites annually.

“We wanted to control our own destiny, as we move from our early constellation to a fully deployed constellation of 20 clusters,” Serafini said.

HawkEye 360 plans to launch a sixth cluster of three satellites before the end of 2022, bringing its total constellation to 18 satellites supporting defense, humanitarian, environmental and commercial applications. The company plans to reach all 20 clusters, for a total of 60 satellites, by the end of 2025, and expects to  be halfway toward its goal by mid-2023, Serafini said.

Sixty satellites is “a lot of satellites to get up on orbit quickly,” Serafini said. “We need to have diversity of manufacturing to speed up the delivery of those assets on orbit, to best control the cost to ensure that we get the right economies of scale.”

HawkEye 360 invested more than $1 million in the new facility, including equipment, Serafini said.  The company plans to add 70 new employees skilled in spacecraft manufacturing, as well as data analytics to support it, Serafini said. HawkEye360 currently has more than 150 employees.

In March, the company — founded in 2015 — helped convene a group of space industry companies to raise more than $1 million to fund relief projects in Ukraine. 

 

McLean-based Intelsat names new execs

McLean-based Intelsat Corp. has named four new executives.

Anthony “Toby” O’Brien will become the satellite provider’s next chief financial officer, after having served in the role for five years with Raytheon Co., Intelsat said in a news release May 5.

Michael DeMarco will become the company’s new chief commercial officer, after having served as chief services officer. In the new position, DeMarco will be responsible for Intelsat commercial services including product management, sales activities and pricing. DeMarco has worked for Intelsat for more than two decades and previously led its product, engineering and operations teams and was responsible for the company’s digital transformation strategy and delivering its end-to-end service portfolio.

DeMarco

Clay McConnell has been named senior vice president of corporate communications and marketing. McConnell previously spent three decades in communications at Delta Air Lines and Airbus SAS.

Jeff Sare has been hired as president of Intelsat’s commercial aviation division. He previously served as vice president and connectivity solutions business segment leader at Panasonic Avionics.

The hires and promotions come after Intelsat named David Wajsgras as its new CEO in March. The company announced in late February that it had emerged from its financial restructuring process nearly two years after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“As we execute our strategy to create an environment of seamless global connections with transformational technologies, we are committed to reestablishing the market and innovation leadership that has been the hallmark of Intelsat for decades,” Wajsgras said in a statement. “Talented people like Jeff, Mike, Toby and Clay will help the team position our company to deliver on our strategic objectives. They share Intelsat’s dedication to building and leveraging our unified communications network to help our customers stay connected — all the time, everywhere.”

DeMarco, O’Brien and McConnell will be based in McLean, while Sare will be based with Intelsat’s Commercial Aviation team in Chicago. All begin their roles in May.

 

Intelsat donates space artifact to Smithsonian

McLean-based satellite operator Intelsat Corp. has donated the launch backup of the first commercial communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The company donated the ground spare of the Intelsat 1 satellite, also known as Early Bird. Intelsat 1 was launched on April 6, 1965, and is now inactive but remains in a geosynchronous orbit, meaning an orbit that matches Earth’s orbit and rotation speed to stay in the same position over the Earth. The second, identical satellite had been on display at Intelsat’s U.S. headquarters.

Intelsat 1 is credited with broadcasting the Apollo 11 moon landing to TV viewers as well as doubling the number of telephone lines between continents.

“This historic satellite’s new home commemorates its role in some of the most profound moments in human space exploration and global connectivity,” Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler said in a statement. “Allowing people to witness the moon landing live inspired a generation of space explorers and enthusiasts.”

At the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Smithsonian staff will prepare the satellite for exhibition. The museum will display it in an exhibition scheduled to open in 2025.

“In short, it’s a very, very important artifact,” said Smithsonian curator Jim David. “We’re very excited about getting it, and it’s a perfect fit in the communications satellite section of the new Living in the Space Age gallery.”

McLean satellite operator emerges from bankruptcy

McLean-based satellite operator Intelsat Corp. announced on Feb. 23 that it has emerged from its financial restructuring process nearly two years after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company’s debt has been reduced from nearly $16 billion to $7 billion, according to a news release.

Intelsat obtained $6.7 billion in new financing. The company has a new board of directors, which includes Intelsat’s CEO, and six new directors, including Chair Lisa Hammitt.

“For more than 50 years, Intelsat has led innovation in our sector and delivered high-performing services for customers,” said Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler in a statement. “Now that our financial restructuring has been completed successfully, we are driving Intelsat’s future development and growth from a position of even greater strength.”

Spengler said the company has significantly less debt and new financing. About a year ago, the company’s creditors approved the restructuring.

“We are positioned better than ever to fuel the success of our customers and partners, achieve our strategic objectives, and accelerate our growth. Building the world’s first global 5G satellite-based,software-defined, unified network is just one of Intelsat’s many groundbreaking projects well underway.”

Herndon’s BlackSky appoints chief revenue officer

Herndon- and Seattle-based geospatial intelligence and global monitoring company BlackSky Technology Inc. announced that J.R. Riordan assumed the role of chief revenue officer on Monday.

“With a professional background in both defense and geospatial intelligence, J.R. will be an outstanding addition to BlackSky’s expanded executive leadership team,” BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole said in a statement. As our chief revenue officer, J.R. will play a pivotal role in building and sustaining our customer pipeline and strengthening our business development operations.”

Riordan will be responsible for overseeing revenue operations, strategic partnerships and sales activities. He was most recently the senior vice president at Centreville-based defense contractor Parsons Corp. for its space and geospatial intelligence business. Before that, Riordan was a staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, where he led the congressional establishment of the U.S. Space Force.

“I’m looking forward to expanding BlackSky’s pipeline of global customers and bolstering its business development efforts,” Riordan said in a statement. “There’s a clear demand for actionable insights and geospatial intelligence that can drive informed decision-making, and I’m excited to be part of a dynamic company within a burgeoning industry.”

BlackSky debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 10 after closing a SPAC merger first announced in February. Founded in 2014, BlackSky provides satellite imaging services using its satellite network and provides monitoring via machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision and natural language processing.

Herndon’s BlackSky goes public after closing SPAC deal

Herndon- and Seattle-based geospatial intelligence and global monitoring company BlackSky Technology Inc. debuted on the New York Stock Exchange Friday after closing a SPAC merger originally announced in February.

As of 4:09 p.m. Friday, BlackSky shares were trading at $10.98. Prior to Thursday’s merger with Philadelphia-based special purpose acquisition company Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp., BlackSky was known as BlackSky Holdings Inc.

The combined company received about $283 million in gross proceeds, composed of about $103 million in cash held in trust by Osprey and the proceeds of a $180 million private investment in public equity (PIPE). Osprey’s shareholders approved the transaction on Wednesday.

“The Osprey team is very excited for [BlackSky CEO] Brian O’Toole and the BlackSky organization,” Osprey Co-Executive Chairman Jonathan Z. Cohen said in a statement. “We look forward to watching them execute on BlackSky’s strategic growth plan as a public company.”

O’Toole will continue to lead the combined company, and Will Porteous will remain chairman of BlackSky’s board.

“Our team is excited that we have reached this major milestone on our first-to-know mission to lead a new era of real-time global intelligence,” O’Toole said in a statement. “We are looking forward to this next chapter as a public company and the many opportunities that lie ahead in the new space economy.”

David DiDomenico, who heads JANA Partners LLC’s SPAC initiative and serves as president, CEO and a director of Osprey, will serve on the combined company’s board of directors. Magid Abraham, Timothy Harvey and James Tolonen will join BlackSky’s board.

Founded in 2014, BlackSky provides satellite imaging services using its satellite network and provides monitoring via machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision and natural language processing.