New Unseenlabs satellites boost RF detection for global offshore energy security
(WO) - Unseenlabs has successfully launched two new satellites—BRO-17 and BRO-20—advancing the company’s radio-frequency (RF) detection constellation that is increasingly used to monitor offshore energy activity and maritime traffic worldwide.
The satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare mission, marking a key step in expanding a system designed to identify and geolocate vessels through their electromagnetic emissions—even when ships disable AIS or other tracking systems. The growing constellation offers oil and gas operators improved situational awareness across offshore basins, where untracked maritime activity can pose safety, logistics, and security risks.
BRO-20 represents a milestone in Unseenlabs’ move toward a next-generation architecture that will enhance monitoring over complex maritime corridors near offshore rigs, FPSOs, and subsea developments. The company was selected by the European Space Agency as part of the Copernicus Contributing Missions and is preparing to extend its RF detection capabilities into land and space domains in 2026.
Unseenlabs has also expanded its global footprint, opening a new regional office in Singapore to support clients across Asia-Pacific, alongside a U.S. entity led by industry veteran Craig Brower. These moves align with rising demand from offshore operators, who increasingly rely on satellite-based RF intelligence for maritime domain awareness, asset protection, and operational continuity.
“The successful launch of BRO-17 and BRO-20 marks a new phase for our constellation and the technology we’ve refined over the last decade,” founders Clément and Jonathan Galic said. “As our global presence grows, we’re strengthening our ability to support offshore operators with reliable, high-value RF intelligence anywhere in the world.”
Entering its tenth year, Unseenlabs is preparing for a second generation of satellites that aim to further improve detection in deepwater environments and high-traffic offshore corridors—an area of growing strategic importance for the global oil and gas sector.
