This Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract tasks the company with creating a payload capable of detecting and characterizing ground-based radar emissions that target satellites. By moving these sensors into orbit, the U.S. Space Force seeks to augment existing ground-based monitoring systems, gaining a clearer picture of activities affecting high-value assets in the GEO belt.

Innovative Signal Analysis brings its Generation 3 Payload Processor to the program, a technology already tested through its ENCORE payload on the International Space Station. According to HawkEye 360 Chief Operating Officer Todd Probert, the firm’s compact, low-SWaP architecture is specifically designed to meet the rapid deployment needs of current national defense missions. Beyond military use, the company anticipates the technology could eventually serve commercial interests, such as satellite diagnostics and space traffic management.