Eavesdropping With Radio Waves
Eavesdropping With Radio Waves
By: Kyle Wang
Due: 11/9/2018
Typical companies want to create satellites that can snap pictures of the earth. HawkEye360, however, decided to something more innovative: scanning the earth for radio-frequency signals. This seemed almost impossible at one point in time. However, with cheaper and simpler radio technology and the ease of building small satellites, the dream became a reality. This innovation could potentially be used to detect illegal activities, such as illegal fishing, smuggling, drug trafficking, and piracy. These vessels "turn off GPS location transponders, often to hide their whereabouts and engage in illicit activity".
Radio waves can be found almost everywhere; in places like ships, planes, battlefields, search-and-rescue-operations, cell towers, anything that can communicate with something else. However, these radio waves are very crowded, since there is tons of interference and crosstalk. The antennas of pathfinder, however, can detect a wide range of radio signals above about one watt in power. This means the Pathfinder is able to detect signals from satellite phones, push-to-talk radios, and marine radar, which have signals that are really hard to detect. Illegal vessels turn off a mandatory device called an automatic identification system, also known as AIS. It broadcasts GPS locations, so those who are going into illegal fishing zones will turn them off. If a vessel turns the AIS off, the Pathfinder can still track its other emitters. If all of the emitters are turned off, then the vessel can no longer communicate, making it a lose-lose situation for the vessel. This is why the Pathfinder could be so effective.
Later this month, their three ships are expected to be going into space on a bigger launch known as the "SmallSatExpress". By completing this mission, SmallSatExpress will be the largest ever ride-ship mission in the U.S. of all time, with a total of 71 satellites. As Wired describes it, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets and other satellites will "get the ride of their lives together". They will then cut loose to its desired orbits to see if they can do their jobs. If the HawkEye360 satellites succeed, three trillion US dollars worth of illegal activity could be prevented every year.
It is evident that technology is improving everyday. Sometimes this is good, other times it is bad. There is a lot of bad things occurring in the black market, and we need to find ways to prevent illegal activities such as the smuggling, drug trafficking, etc. HawkEye360 has taken the first couple of steps, and as the future continues our innovations will get better and better. Who knows what can be possible next; we might be able to distort the waves of bad guys, only time will tell.
Radio waves can be found almost everywhere; in places like ships, planes, battlefields, search-and-rescue-operations, cell towers, anything that can communicate with something else. However, these radio waves are very crowded, since there is tons of interference and crosstalk. The antennas of pathfinder, however, can detect a wide range of radio signals above about one watt in power. This means the Pathfinder is able to detect signals from satellite phones, push-to-talk radios, and marine radar, which have signals that are really hard to detect. Illegal vessels turn off a mandatory device called an automatic identification system, also known as AIS. It broadcasts GPS locations, so those who are going into illegal fishing zones will turn them off. If a vessel turns the AIS off, the Pathfinder can still track its other emitters. If all of the emitters are turned off, then the vessel can no longer communicate, making it a lose-lose situation for the vessel. This is why the Pathfinder could be so effective.
Later this month, their three ships are expected to be going into space on a bigger launch known as the "SmallSatExpress". By completing this mission, SmallSatExpress will be the largest ever ride-ship mission in the U.S. of all time, with a total of 71 satellites. As Wired describes it, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets and other satellites will "get the ride of their lives together". They will then cut loose to its desired orbits to see if they can do their jobs. If the HawkEye360 satellites succeed, three trillion US dollars worth of illegal activity could be prevented every year.
It is evident that technology is improving everyday. Sometimes this is good, other times it is bad. There is a lot of bad things occurring in the black market, and we need to find ways to prevent illegal activities such as the smuggling, drug trafficking, etc. HawkEye360 has taken the first couple of steps, and as the future continues our innovations will get better and better. Who knows what can be possible next; we might be able to distort the waves of bad guys, only time will tell.
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| HawkEye360's three satellites. - Business Insider |
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| Radio Waves - Wired |
Links:
https://www.wired.com/story/new-satellites-will-use-radio-waves-to-spy-on-ships-and-planes/
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/spacex-to-launch-70-satellites-radio-tracking-2018-11
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