China launches first commercial radio reconnaissance satellites — South China Morning Post
China has launched three Diting-01 satellites, which became the initial group of the first commercial constellation for radio reconnaissance. The Lijian-1 Y18 launch vehicle lifted off from the Jiuquan Cosmodrome in northern China, carrying a total of nine spacecraft. The three Diting-01 satellites were successfully placed into their planned orbit, South China Morning Post reports.
Monitoring radio signals from orbit
The satellites were developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology and will be operated by StarRF. They are designed to receive radio signals from Earth, including signals from military ship radars, military communications networks and electronic jamming equipment, as well as to determine the locations of their sources.
The company said that the future constellation will be able to monitor the state of the electromagnetic spectrum over large areas, rapidly and accurately locate sources of radio emissions, and provide remote sensing data and analytical services at the electromagnetic spectrum level.
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StarRF's plans
According to the Chinese portal Guancha, the spacecraft can likely determine a transmitter's coordinates by simultaneously receiving the same signal from three different points in orbit and comparing its arrival time. At the same time, the scale and accuracy of the constellation's monitoring are not known for certain. A representative of Chang Guang Satellite Technology said that no additional information could be provided.
StarRF was founded in 2023. The company plans to create a low-Earth-orbit constellation of 60 satellites to monitor the electromagnetic spectrum. It intends to offer data and analytics to the defense sector, public security agencies, radio frequency regulators, maritime shipping, railway and other transport sectors, as well as emergency services.
US-based HawkEye 360 and France's Unseenlabs already operate in the field of commercial space-based radio monitoring. Such systems have dual-use purposes, as their data can be used for both civilian and defense purposes.
