Unseenlabs launches second-gen satellites for wider RF

Unseenlabs has deployed its second generation of satellites for radio frequency detection, expanding the French company's coverage from maritime monitoring to land and space activity.

The first satellite in the new series, BRO-31, was integrated by Exolaunch and launched on a Falcon 9 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It marks a shift in the company's fleet from nanosatellites weighing about 15kg to microsatellites of about 150kg.

The new generation remains based on Unseenlabs' monosatellite model, with each spacecraft operating independently rather than as part of an interdependent formation. The company says that approach remains central to its method for space-based radio frequency detection.

The deployment expands a constellation that now includes two satellite generations with different roles. The earlier Gen 1 fleet remains focused on maritime domain awareness, while Gen 2 extends coverage across maritime, land and space.

The move comes as governments and commercial operators place greater emphasis on tracking emissions from vessels, infrastructure and other sources that may not be visible through conventional observation systems. Radio frequency monitoring is used to detect and geolocate signals emitted by equipment ranging from communications systems to radar.

For maritime users, this can include identifying so-called dark ships that reduce or disable standard tracking transmissions. Operators and public authorities increasingly use alternative forms of surveillance to monitor shipping activity in contested waters, enforce sanctions and investigate suspected illicit behaviour at sea.

Broader coverage

According to Unseenlabs, the new satellites can detect a broader range of frequencies, including L, S, C, X and Ku bands. That supports uses including maritime surveillance, spectrum and interference monitoring, and defence systems monitoring.

The latest spacecraft are designed to improve the company's ability to detect, geolocate, characterise and identify radio frequency activity across several domains. The shift broadens the scope of a company that built its name on maritime monitoring from space.

Founded in 2015, Unseenlabs operates 23 satellites and employs about 140 people. The company is based in France and also has an office in Singapore and a team in the US.

Its customer base includes governments, public institutions and private sector users. Unseenlabs positions its services around multi-domain awareness, using signals intelligence gathered from space to support monitoring and decision-making.

Strategic demand

The expansion reflects rising demand for commercial data services that can supplement state-run surveillance assets. In maritime security, especially across busy and strategically sensitive sea lanes, operators have sought ways to combine optical imagery, radar data and radio frequency detection to build a clearer picture of activity.

That broader context has sharpened attention on technologies that can track emissions even when vessels are not transmitting automatic identification signals. Analysts and security officials have pointed to such methods as one way to improve oversight in regions where shipping routes, fisheries enforcement and military activity often overlap.

Unseenlabs says its second-generation satellites are intended to serve commercial, security and defence markets. The expansion beyond maritime use also places the company in a wider market for monitoring land-based emitters and radio frequency activity in orbit.

"Our second-generation satellites significantly expand both the breadth and depth of our RF detection capabilities," said Clément Galic, co-founder and chief executive officer of Unseenlabs.

"This unlocks detection, geolocation and characterization of a broader range of activities across maritime, land and space domains. This opens new strategic use cases while reinforcing our ability to support our customers across commercial, security and defense markets," Galic said.