Established in 2015, Unseenlabs is a French enterprise renowned for its expertise in satellite-based radio frequency detection. The company has been turning heads, particularly the Directorate General of Armament's (DGA), with its innovative focus on maritime surveillance via satellite radio frequency detection.
Unseenlabs’ Nanosatellite Technology
The firm leverages an array of 13 “nanosatellites” to enable the pinpoint detection and tracking of all types of vessels, utilizing electromagnetic wave emissions. The advantage of this technology is the capability to uncover both civil and military ships involved in unlawful actions, even when their Automatic Identification System (AIS) is deactivated.
Funding and Collaborations
Definvest, administered by Bpifrance on behalf of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, along with multiple investors, have fueled Unseenlabs with funding, resulting in an impressive 20 million euros. The company's unique position and offerings led to its selection by the Defense Innovation Agency (AID) for the FLORE project, which seeks to showcase a space-based radio spectrum monitoring service.
The duties entrusted to Unseenlabs for the FLORE project include creating a payload for a mini-satellite, supplied by U-Space.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, the company's strategy includes broadening its surveillance scope to include terrestrial and space domains from 2026 onwards. This expansion will be powered by a new generation of satellites, each weighing 150 kg. Notably, Unseenlabs' proprietary single-satellite RF technology offers a distinct difference over competitor's trisatellite systems, promising constant worldwide coverage and round-the-clock operations.
Enhanced Land Surveillance
The new capabilities in land monitoring will be tasked with managing strategic RF emissions from various devices such as satellite phones and jammers, offering a significant augmentation to the current maritime surveillance capabilities.
Space Surveillance
The upcoming satellite fleet also comes with the added responsibility of space monitoring. This will help in averting collisions and evaluating the “health of space assets”.
With interoperability with other land observation systems, Unseenlabs anticipates accuracy of less than a kilometer. The impending launch of the next-generation satellite constellation marks a significant milestone for the company as it sets foot into the realms of terrestrial and space surveillance.