Manifest Space with Morgan Brennan HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini on tracking dark oil tankers across the globe, his latest acquisition and a possible IPO 12/26/25
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Dec 26, 2025 John Serafini, Founder and CEO of HawkEye 360, sheds light on tracking 'dark vessels'—ships that go off-grid in international waters. He discusses the strategic acquisition of Innovative Signal Analysis and how RF-sensing satellites operate to identify these vessels using various signals. Serafini also touches on the growing commercialization of signals intelligence and the role of AI in enhancing detection capabilities. With an eye on the future, he hints at the potential for an IPO and addresses the evolving competitive landscape in defense tech.
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Tracking Dark Vessels From Space
- John Serafini describes how vessels that turn off AIS still emit X-band, S-band or push-to-talk signals that Hawkeye can detect from space.
- He explains they assign a unique Hawkeye identifier and track those ships globally to extract intelligence over time.
ISA Acquisition Was Years In The Making
- Serafini recounts that the acquisition of Innovative Signal Analysis (ISA) took over two years and that ISA has supported the U.S. government for nearly 30 years.
- He says ISA's processing tech is financially accretive and strategically complementary to Hawkeye's platform.
RF Data Enables Multi‑Modal Tasking
- Serafini highlights that multi‑modal intelligence multiplies value by cueing imagers with RF detections.
- He says RF alerts can task electro‑optical or SAR satellites to create combined multi‑end products for customers.