Ibadan, 21 February 2024. – Unseenlabs has announced its satellite fleet expansion and will consequently be launching two new satellites, the new Unseenlabs BRO-12 and BRO-13 (Breizh Reconnaissance Orbiter) satellites. The satellites will tentatively launch in March as part of the Transporter-10 mission aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket via Exolaunch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Unseenlabs satellite-based surveillance technology captures electromagnetic waves, specifically radio frequency signals, from space to detect passive emissions from ships’ electronic systems with technical and geographical precision. This is necessary as vessels deliberately turn off their transponder to evade surveillance and engage in illegal activities such as fishing, ocean dumping, overfishing, or other trafficking at sea. As a result, using passive emissions from ships’ electronic systems to detect a vessel is a tamper-proof method of collecting data to locate them.
With the additional satellites, more governments, insurers, shipowners, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) now have access to radio frequency surveillance to identify ships seeking to evade detection, ensure maritime security, and protect the marine environment. Furthermore, Unseenlabs can revisit each monitored area every four to six hours, and new satellites will allow the Company to decrease the time between each visit to an area. Unseenlabs also plans to launch more satellites in 2024, which will allow for real-time monitoring of the seas, as it aims to expand its constellation to 25 satellites by 2025.
Speaking on the missions, Clément Galic, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unseenlabs, said, “Unseenlabs is happy to continue the expansion of its satellite constellation and capabilities. With these new satellites, we are providing increased intelligence and security solutions for both the Government and commercial sectors.”
