HawkEye360 Signal Analysis Company Acquires Radio Frequency Business Unit From Maxar

HawkEye360 announced on Monday December 18 that it had acquired the Maxar radio frequency business unit (photo: x @hawkeye360)

JAKARTA - Signal analysis company HawkEye360 announced on Monday 18 December that it had acquired a newly formed Maxar radio frequency business unit less than a year ago, adding a spectral scanning satellite to its fleet.

Northern Virginia-based HawkEye360 and uses satellites to scan and map radio signals around the world, said the acquisition included two existing radio-frequency satellites, intellectual property, and a large database of radio frequency collections. The value and timing of the deal were not disclosed.

"This acquisition will accelerate the discovery of our new signal and expand our capacity to serve government intelligence users," HawkEye360 Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Zeitouni said in a statement.

Maxar, who is a heavy player in the satellite image market, tried to expand his offerings earlier this year by acquiring Aurora Insight Inc, which later formed a radio frequency business unit, RF Solutions.

Less than a year later, Maxar's sale of the unit to HawkEye was the latest move in the industry to cut costs and get rid of offerings that emerged from short diversification and expansion push.

"This transaction simplifies our product portfolio and allows Maxar Intelligence to focus on our core power," said a Maxar spokesperson.

Private equity firm Advent International and minority investor British Columbia Investment Management Corp brought Maxar to become a private company in May in a deal worth around US$6.4 billion (Rp99.3 trillion).

Planet's satellite image company, a competitor to Maxar, laid off employment for 1,000 employees in August to focus on "very important growth opportunities and operational efficiency," the security report said, adding that the company's rapid growth and business expansion efforts a few years earlier contributed to increased costs amid increasingly difficult funding climates.