Wide Area Surveillance Space Systems
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Unseenlabs
BRO (Breizh Reconnaissance Orbiter) developed by UnseenLabs, are a series of 6kg satellites providing a spectrum monitoring and electromagnetic intelligence service (SIGINT) for maritime and aerial traffic surveillance. Unseenlabs owns the world’s most developed fleet of independent satellites1 for RF signals detection. The French company has been fully operational since 2019, and provides RF information to its public and private clients. When the vast majority of companies need multiple satellites to realize an RF acquisition over a single reference point on Earth, Unseenlabs only needs one satellite. Thus, this is a crucial technological advantage for Unseenlabs.
Founded in 2015, Unseenlabs is a company located in Rennes, France. Unseenlabs had 30 staff members by 2022 and continued to enlarge its team. After announcing new partnerships in the US and Japan, Unseenlabs is increasing its international commercial presence.
“We are planning to extend the constellation up to 20 satellites. The aim is to achieve an almost permanent maritime surveillance of RF activities worldwide.” Jonathan Galic, CTO and cofounder at Unseenlabs, says. “Our constellation is at the top of the commercial sector regarding RF intelligence. Thanks to these newest satellites, we will offer data and information more frequently to our government and commercial partners.""
Nowadays, ships at sea are equipped with many electronic systems emitting electromagnetic signals for navigational aid (NAVAID), and to improve security on board. The Unseenlabs’ constellation specifically detects, characterizes and geolocalizes these RF signals coming from a wide range of emitters. It covers sea areas of hundreds of thousands square kilometers. Unseenlabs processes and analyses this RF data, and provides unique knowledge for national security operations, for environmental protection and for an increasing number of applications in the commercial sector. The constellation is designed to provide data to clients to follow maritime traffic, regardless of the time of day and weather conditions.
Although originally designed to prevent collisions between ships and support rescue efforts in disasters, Automatic Identification System (AIS) has also developed into a tool governments can use to measure activity in overseas ports and enhance supply chain visibility. In 2000, the International Maritime Organization adopted a reqirement for AIS systems to be carried on most ships. The requirement took effect in 2004.
The French startup named UnseenLabs launched its first satellite 19 Augut 2019 on the Rocket Lab Electron booster. The briefcase-sized six-unit CubeSat, named Bro-1, was built by the Danish smallest manufacturer GomSpace. The Bro-1 mission is the first spacecraft in a planned constellation of CubeSats for maritime surveillance. UnseenLabs says its fleet of nanosatellites will be able to locate and identify ships around the world, providing tracking services for maritime operators and helping security forces watch for pirates and smugglers.
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. Vessels will deliberately turn off their AIS transponder to evade surveillance and engage in illegal activities such IUU fishing, ocean dumping, overfishing, or other trafficking at sea. Using passive emissions from ships’ electronic systems to detect a vessel is a tamper-proof method of collecting data to locate them.
Terrestrial AIS data refers to signals that are transmitted to coastline stations from ships. Coastline stations and satellites work in tandem to combine AIS coverage in order to create a more detailed and accurate vessel tracking system. In the event AIS data are not transmitted via coastline stations, information can be still exchanged via satellite; however, a press release by Unseenlabs, a European radio frequency signal processing firm, stated that “most ships are not visible from traditional surveillance systems once they get close to Chinese shores.”
According to data cited in a November 2021 Financial Times article, AIS signals transmitted from ships in Chinese waters fell dramatically from a peak of over 15 million per day in October to just over one million per day in early November. Global shipping data provider VesselsValue corroborated similar trends, reporting “an industry wide reduction in terrestrial AIS signals in China,” according to Charlotte Cook, head trade analyst at VesselsValue.‡ 207 Broadcasting AIS data is an international standard that ensures maritime safety and transparency, and commercial services aggregate the data to monitor commercial ship traffic and analyze economic activity. By blocking public access to its AIS broadcasts, China’s government further obfuscates its commercial maritime activities and increases challenges to identifying and publicizing destabilizing activities such as enforcing illegal maritime claims in the South China Sea.
AIS screening is also an effective method to ensure compliance with international sanctions, particularly for monitoring ships involved in ship-to-ship transfers or trading in areas perceived to be high-risk near sanctioned jurisdictions. A U.S. government advisory issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in May 2020 reveals that AIS switch-offs (or “gaps”) are key red flags that might be indicative of illegal activity such as the evasion of sanctions.
The Yellow Sea, which lies between mainland China and the Korean peninsula, has been identified as one such high-risk area for illicit ship-to-ship transfers involving North Korean goods, primarily coal and metal ore, in violation of UN sanctions. Former Data and Analytic Director at NK News Leo Byrne assesses the legal implications of China’s actions to mask AIS signals, stating, “If [the hidden AIS] data contains information on U.N. designated vessels moving through Chinese territorial waters—which it almost certainly does—then Beijing would likely be violating the wording of Resolution 2397 by not reporting such information to the U.N. and what action it took concerning it.” China has employed this same approach to import oil from Iran and Venezuela while evading U.S. sanctions.
Prior to Unseenlabs, there was a significant gap in visibility within oceans to identify ships that disabled transponders. With the additional satellites, more governments, insurers, shipowners, and non-governmental organizations (NGO) now have access to radio frequency surveillance to identify ships seeking to evade detection, ensure maritime security, and protect the marine environment.
Unseenlabs can revisit each monitored area every four to six hours, and new satellites allow them to decrease the time between each visit to an area. They plan to launch more satellites in 2024, which will allow for real time monitoring of the seas. Unseenlabs plans to expand their constellation to 25 satellites by 2025.
Unseenlabs is a pioneer and global leader in space-based RF detection for maritime surveillance. Its novel, proprietary technology makes it possible to geolocate and characterize any vessel at sea, at any time, regardless of the location on the globe and the weather conditions. Unseenlabs provides its customers with data and solutions with high added value, making it possible to combat illegal activities at sea. Unseenlabs solutions are a world reference in the field. Find more information at www.unseenlabs.space. Follow us on LinkedIn and X @Unseenlabs.
Unseenlabs, pioneer and global leader in space-based RF detection for Maritime Domain Awareness, announced 20 February 2024 its two new satellites, BRO-12 and BRO-13, will be integrated by Exolaunch and will launch as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission no earlier than March 2024 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
“Unseenlabs is pleased to continue the expansion of our satellite constellation and capabilities. With these new satellites, we are providing increased intelligence and security solutions for both the government and commercial sectors,” said Clément Galic, founder and chief executive officer of Unseenlabs. “Unseenlabs is in a robust growth phase. In addition to the technical expansion brought by the additional satellites, our team is expanding, and our solutions are protecting in increasing numbers, the assets of commercial shipping companies, ensuring the safety of passengers, and protecting the environment.”
Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J)
The Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) aims to demonstrate proximity operations and obtain images of the rocket body, delivering observational data to better understand the debris environment. A planned second phase of the mission, which has yet to be competed, intends to demonstrate the de-orbit of the debris. Astroscale Japan Inc., has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Phase I of its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Project (CRD2), one of the world’s first technology demonstrations of removing large-scale debris from orbit.
In 1958 not only the US Air Force but also the US Department of Defense (DOD) started serious investigations into future anti-satellite weapons [ASATs]. the Air Force’s Ballistic Missile Division, embarked on the development of a co-orbital SAtellite INTerceptor (SAINT) for space defense. The US Air Force always intended to convert it to a true anti-satellite program.
SAINT was a U.S. satellite system proposed by the Air Force for inspecting, and potentially shooting down, enemy satellites. It was to be launched into co-orbit with an uncooperative target, approach it as closely as needed, "inspect" it, and radio the information to a ground station. The SAINT satellite could just as well be equipped with a small warhead to destroy the inspected target and thus was a potential anti-satellite (ASAT) interceptor. With complexity came increasing costs. The purpose of SAINT (inspection versus destruction) never became very clear.
Although cancelled due to cost, schedule, and technical reasons in December 1962, SAINT provided valuable program and technical experience for future ASAT efforts. Technology limitations at the time, specifically regarding guidance systems, meant that ASATS could be counted on only to place a warhead within a few miles of their target, which meant that they had to use a nuclear warhead. The military utility of such an indiscriminate weapon was minimal.
The 150-kilogram ADRAS-J satellite will approach an aged, derelict rocket stage in orbit to observe it closely, understand how it behaves and determine potential methods for its assisted deorbiting in future. The rocket stage it will be observing is the Japanese H-2A upper stage left in low Earth orbit after the launch of the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009. ADRAS-J will fly around the stage, 11 meters long and four meters in diameter, inspecting it with cameras. After deployment from Electron, Astroscale’s full mission will take between three and six months to complete.
Space is becoming a crowded place. Since the launch of the first satellite in 1957, the creation of debris in Earth’s orbits has been steadily increasing. Much of this debris is comprised of spent rocket stages and satellites that have reached the end of their lifespan. Astroscale is developing solutions across the spectrum of on-orbit servicing. However, before space debris can be removed, it must first be safely approached and characterized. What condition is it in? Is it tumbling, and if so, how quickly? ADRAS-J, or Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan, aims to answer these questions and offer unprecedented insight on the behavior of debris objects in space.
The tracking target that ADRAS-J will monitor is the H-IIA spent rocket stage. It does not provide any GPS data on its own, meaning the precise location and orbital position needed for an RPO mission is not available. Once deployed to a precise orbit, ADRAS-J will use ground based observation data of the stage's approximate orbital position to initially approach it from a safe distance based on this limited information.
Once the ADRAS-J is within a certain distance from H-IIA, ADRAS-J will use its own on-board rendezvous payload sensors to conduct a safe approach with the target. These sensors will capture various types of relative navigation information about the H-IIA, such as distance and attitude, needed to demonstrate RPO technologies to safely approach. Seamless switching and coordination between these sensors is crucial to the success of the mission. Switching between the sensors can be likened to transitioning between a telescope, binoculars, and a magnifying glass while in a fast-moving vehicle on Earth which illustrates the difficult challenges that need to be overcome for this type of mission.
For this mission, ADRAS-J will conduct a close approach and orbit around the target to gather data and images to assess the stage’s condition such as: spin rate, spin axis, and condition of the structure. The mission will demonstrate the most challenging RPO technologies necessary for on-orbit services, however ADRAS-J will not dock with the target stage.
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, launched its 44th Electron rocket February 19, 2024, successfully deploying an orbital debris inspection satellite for Astroscale Japan Inc. The mission, named “On Closer Inspection”, launched from Pad B at Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 03:52 NZDT February 19th, 2024 (14:52 UTC, February 18th). Electron deployed ADRAS-), a satellite designed to test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects in orbit, also known as space junk. The mission is the first phase in assessing the potential for satellites to rendezvous with orbital debris objects in future and assist in de-orbiting them, supporting space sustainability for future generations.
Following the successful launch on Electron, the 150-kilogram ADRAS-J satellite will now approach an aged, derelict rocket stage in orbit to observe it closely, understand how it behaves and determine potential methods for its assisted deorbiting in future. The rocket stage it will be observing is the Japanese H-2A upper stage left in low Earth orbit after the launch of the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009. ADRAS-J will fly around the stage, 11 meters long and four meters in diameter, inspecting it with cameras and sensors. Astroscale’s full mission will take between three and six months to complete.
“Congratulations to the Astroscale team on this historic mission that paves the way for new and innovative ways to reduce orbital debris and ensure space remains safely accessible,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck. “It’s a real honor to provide a dedicated launch service and enable the kind of precise orbital maneuvers required for an advanced mission like this.”
To enable the ADRAS-J satellite to rendezvous with the derelict H-2A upper stage in orbit, Rocket Lab had to design a mission with strict launch timing and precision orbital deployment parameters. Rocket Lab only received the final perigee, apogee, and inclination from Astroscale 20 days before launch, parameters that are typically determined many months in advance of a launch. Only then could argument of perigee targets for different days within the launch window be selected, essentially determining the timing of Electron Kick Stage burns to facilitate the unique elliptical orbit required depending on the launch date. The mission demanded highly accurate orbital insertion with tighter margins than required on most standard missions. The exact T-0 was only able to be defined the day prior to launch and the required LTAN accuracy only allows for +/- 15 seconds, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s capability to deliver rapid and responsive advanced guidance, navigation and control analysis.
“Today’s successful launch of ADRAS-J marks another milestone toward our efforts to grow the on-orbit servicing sector while creating a sustainable space environment,” said Astroscale founder & CEO Nobu Okada. “We are grateful for the collaboration with Rocket Lab, whose expertise in dedicated launch services has been instrumental to the start of this ground breaking mission.”
