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Satnews Daily
April 19th, 2018

Raytheon's Two Polar Scout Smallsats Ready for Work for U.S. Department of Homeland Security


Raytheon Company has announced the company has built two small, Polar Scout satellites for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with Millennium Engineering and Integration.


Photo of the company's SeeMe smallsat during the build process.
Photo is courtesy of Raytheon.

These Polar Scout satellites have flexible radio frequency receivers to help search and rescue teams locate emergency beacons in remote areas, such as the Arctic. Raytheon assembled the small satellites at the company’s advanced missile production facility in Tucson, Arizona. The smallsats are part of a project led by the U.S. Air Force Operationally Responsive Space program to show how they can be built efficiently and cost effectively.

In addition to Millennium, Raytheon worked with Rincon Research and Space Dynamics Laboratories to develop and produce the Polar Scout satellites. The smallsats are scheduled to be launched into lower Earth orbit later this year

Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems VP, stated that with the company's automated production lines, Raytheon can produce highly reliable, small satellites quickly and affordably. In addition to the firm's advanced manufacturing facilities flexibility, small satellites or satellite components designed by Raytheon or another company can be built.