Satellite Deal With Airbus To Support British Armed Forces

Armed forces personnel will have access to the latest space-based imagery for military operations, following a deal signed for a new satellite system, named Oberon. 

The £127 million deal with Airbus will support around 200 skilled jobs in Stevenage and Portsmouth, boosting the UK’s space capabilities and delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change. 

The Oberon satellite system, made up of two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, will be able to capture day and night-time images of the Earth’s surface, strengthening the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Expected to launch in 2027, Oberon will have advanced imagery sensors, building on the capabilities of Tyche, UK Space Command’s first satellite which successfully launched in August last year.  

The deal comes as UK Space Command has published the first images captured by Tyche. The images of Heathrow Airport, Sydney, Washington DC, and the California wildfires, demonstrate Tyche’s ability to capture imagery from anywhere on earth when Defence needs it.  

Both satellites form part of the Ministry of Defence’s space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance programme, known as ISTARI, which will deliver a constellation of satellites and supporting ground systems by 2031.  

These satellites will support military operations, for example by monitoring adversary activities, and contribute to other government tasks, including natural disaster monitoring, the development of mapping information, and tracking the impact of climate change around the world.   

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