| Satellite | Amber-1 (IOD-3 AMBER) |
|---|---|
| Form factor | CubeSat |
| Units or mass | 6U |
| Status | Launch failure |
| Launched | 2023-01-09 |
| NORAD ID | Launch failure |
| Deployer | ? |
| Launcher | LauncherOne (UK) |
| Entity name | Horizon Technologies |
| Institution | Company |
| Entity type | Commercial |
| Country | UK |
| Manufacturer | AIVT by AAC Clyde Space |
| Operator | AAC Clyde Space |
| Launch brokerer | Virgin Orbit |
| Partners | Clyde Space, Innovate UK, UK Satellite Applications Catapult |
| Costs | $1,880,000 for four 3U IOD Mission platforms and $265,000 to upgrade this into 6U Single platform: $735,000 |
| Oneliner |
First of a SIGINT constellation to track vessels using an L-band Satphone detection sensor combined with radar detection. |
| Description |
AIS systems can be switched on and off, and are generally disabled when ships carry out illicit activity, such as smuggling, piracy and illegal fishing. Known as IOD-3 AMBER, the new 6U CubeSat will track vessels using an L-band Satphone detection sensor package combined with radar detection, matching the signals against the presence of AIS beacons. first of a planned constellation that will now offer SIGINT services to government agencies via space. Receiving ship geolocation data (to include GPS locations) of maritime vessels via a number of RF emissions. |
| Sources | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] |
| Photo sources | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] |
| COTS subsystems |
|
| Keywords | AIS |
| On the same launch |
Last modified: 2024-05-29
