HawkEye 360 vs Umbra: Earth observation compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

HawkEye 360 ranks 14 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Umbra ranks 63 with 70. HawkEye 360 is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress, firepower and leverage. Level on technology and positioning. HawkEye 360 is based in Herndon, United States, Umbra in Santa Barbara, United States. HawkEye 360: Public. HawkEye 360 is named in 23 signals and Umbra in 23.

HawkEye 360 →

Herndon, Virginia, United States · Space · Satellites & spacecraft / Earth observation · Public · he360.com

HawkEye 360 operates a commercial RF geolocation satellite constellation and sells radio-frequency intelligence to customers including the National Reconnaissance Office.

Space 100 · rank 14 · score 82

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment8
Production8
Commercials8
Progress10
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower8
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

HawkEye 360 is a US RF-geolocation operator with a 30-satellite constellation (clusters of three since 2018; Block 4 angle-of-arrival payloads launching 2027), promoted from watchlist after it went public (ticker HAWK). FY25 revenue was $117.7M with $24.8M EBITDA (international outpacing US), and Lockheed Martin is an investor and integration partner, feeding RF intelligence into the AEGIS weapon system at Valiant Shield 2026; its December 2025 ISA acquisition generalizes emitter identification. The IPO proceeds, Q2 figures, and backlog are the open items.

Latest signals

  • HawkEye 360 successfully deployed six advanced RF detection and geolocation satellites.Satellite Evolution
  • SFL Missions delivered HawkEye 360 Cluster 15 and 16 spacecraft buses and subsystems.Satellite Evolution
  • Rocket Lab launched three HawkEye 360 satellites on an Electron rocket from New Zealand.Novosti Kosmonavtiki

23 signals name HawkEye 360.

Facts, with sources

  • Launches booked through 2028 for RF geolocation satellitesSpaceNews
  • [object Object]SpaceNews
  • Secured launches through 2028 via SpaceX rideshare missionsSpaceNews

16 facts on file.

Umbra →

Santa Barbara, California, United States · Space · Satellites & spacecraft / Earth observation · umbra.space

Umbra builds and operates radar-imaging satellites and sells high-resolution commercial SAR imagery for Earth observation customers.

Space 100 · rank 63 · score 70

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment6
Production6
Commercials6
Progress9
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower6
Leverage6

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

Umbra is a US SAR operator with 12+ satellites launched (Umbra-12 in January 2026) at 16cm resolution, the highest commercially available, built at low single-digit-millions cost (the cheapest per performance in the field), plus a satellite-sales line building SAR sats for customers. It holds an NRO triple-anchor: an operational Radar Commercial Augmentation contract (August 2026, one of only three survivors of the five-company CRC evaluation), SCE Stage III, and an RF-products award. Revenue is estimated at 10-100m from NRO and commercial streams.

Latest signals

  • Umbra appoints Ashley Durmer as Chief Operating OfficerVia Satellite
  • NOAA awarded a commercial satellite data contract to 14 companies.SpaceNews
  • NRO is expanding commercial synthetic-aperture radar partnerships for space-based intelligence collection.Umbra

23 signals name Umbra.

Facts, with sources

  • NOAA awarded a commercial satellite data contract to 14 companiesSpaceNews
  • NRO is expanding commercial synthetic-aperture radar partnerships for space-based intelligence collectionUmbra
  • NRO expands commercial SAR partnerships for operational intelligence collectionUmbra

28 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

HawkEye 360 or Umbra: which is ahead in space?

HawkEye 360 ranks 14 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Umbra ranks 63 with 70. HawkEye 360 is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress, firepower and leverage. Level on technology and positioning. HawkEye 360 is based in Herndon, United States, Umbra in Santa Barbara, United States. HawkEye 360: Public. HawkEye 360 is named in 23 signals and Umbra in 23.

How do HawkEye 360 and Umbra compare?

HawkEye 360 ranks 14 on the Space 100 with a score of 82; Umbra ranks 63 with 70. HawkEye 360 is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress, firepower and leverage. Level on technology and positioning. HawkEye 360 is based in Herndon, United States, Umbra in Santa Barbara, United States. HawkEye 360: Public. HawkEye 360 is named in 23 signals and Umbra in 23. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

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