These Satellites Will Hunt Pirates, and Maybe Terrorists
SpaceX is set to launch three toaster oven-size vehicles this weekend that will scan the globe for telltale radio signals of dark ships.
Spectators watch as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Nov. 15.
Photographer: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesIf all goes as planned with the scheduled SpaceX launch Sunday, a startup called HawkEye 360 will have a trio of satellites resembling toaster ovens circling the globe, scanning for pirate radio.
The Washington-area company is one of 35 paying customers strapped to the top of the Falcon 9 rocket, a crowd of cosmic enterprises boldly pushing the private sector into parts of the universe that were once solely the province of sovereign space agencies. The passenger list includes a Honeywell satellite to relay messages from tankers at sea, a company called Audacy that is building a system to speed communication among satellites, and the Nevada Museum of Art, which is launching an orbiting sculpture meant to be visible from Earth.