Innovative UK-made tech will help the military monitor space
following a new £65 million deal agreed today, in British Science
Week.
The Borealis command, control and data processing system will
help the UK military the UK Space Agency to better monitor and
protect satellites, through new software which compiles and
processes data from multiple sources, more quickly, to monitor
space.
The £65 million deal with CGI UK, an IT systems integration
specialist, will support around 100 skilled jobs in Leatherhead,
Reading and Bristol, boosting the UK's space capabilities and
delivering on the Government's Plan for Change.
The new technology will provide UK military with a better
understanding of the Space Domain, improving military commanders
decision-making process and supporting operations, both at home
and overseas.
Under the five-year contract, Borealis will provide software for
the National Space Operations Centre, which develops and operates
the UK's space surveillance and protection capabilities. It will
be a unique, UK-made system which support military operations
around the world.
Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Rt Hon
MP, said:
This new deal delivers for our national security by enhancing
protection for our satellite technology that millions rely on,
while boosting jobs and growth at home.
This Government continues to work swiftly to develop the new
Defence Industrial Strategy. This announcement will support
hundreds of highly skilled jobs, unlocking defence as an engine
for growth and driving forward this government's Plan for Change.
Borealis will enhance the UK's ability to monitor and protect
crucial space assets, which underpin the UK's security and
prosperity, enabling us to navigate the oceans, keep our military
personnel safe, monitor the climate, and forecast the
weather. Other key benefits which Borealis
provides includes:
-
Space Domain Awareness: The ability to understand and analyse
what is happening in space around the Earth. This includes
space weather - the environmental conditions in space around
Earth - and monitoring objects in space, including space
debris and active satellites.
-
Protection of UK space assets: Borealis will provide a
single, bespoke system, which will compile all data related
to UK satellites. This enhanced awareness of what is
happening in space will enable UK Space Command to better
protect critical UK space systems.
-
Integrated C2 System: Borealis will provide timely
decision-quality information to government and military
commanders through an interoperable system, across different
tiers of security classification.
Maj Gen Paul Tedman, Commander of UK Space Command,
said:
The use of space is crucial for our economy, prosperity,
security, and defence, but assured access to space is becoming
increasingly contested by adversaries and congested by users and
debris. Therefore, it is imperative that we know what is
happening in space.
Borealis is an innovative system that draws together multiple
inputs to enhance the UK government's understanding of the
wide-ranging activity on orbit, allowing the UK to protect not
just our own space assets, but those of our allies and partners
as well.
CGI is one of the world's leading providers of independent IT
services to international defence customers including the UK,
Australia, Canada and the USA. CGI will work alongside a network
of partner organisations hand-picked for their expertise to
deliver the programme.
Neil Timms, Senior Vice President of Space, Defence &
Intelligence UK & Australia at CGI said:
We're proud to support UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency
through delivery of BOREALIS. We believe this is a strategic step
towards establishing a more holistic approach to the UK's
national space data architecture, with BOREALIS and the National
Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) at its heart.
