The contracts will develop innovative software to provide a
robust, secure and automated satellite control system for future
UK MOD satellites.
The awards, as part of Project Beroe, will underpin government
control of future satellite constellations, further enhancing the
UK’s multi-domain integration efforts.
Worth a total of £4 million, the contracts were placed with Rhea
in Bath and Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems UK in Oxfordshire.
They will aid the agile development of software for satellite
system management, designed to capture and process onboard system
data to control and monitor the performance of the satellite.
Commodore David Moody, Head of Capability at Space Command, said:
This is a pivotal moment for UK Defence and the UK Space Sector
as we develop software and partnerships that will determine the
future of how we manage our activities in space.
This project will enable us to define and understand how we will
control and optimise the use of our satellites in a safe and
sustainable way, and is an important part of UK MOD’s future
satellite aspirations.
These contracts also support the wider goals of enabling growth
in the Space Sector to develop resilient space capabilities and
services.
The contracts were placed by the Space Delivery Team at Defence
Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK
MOD, and support the UK’s National Space Strategy, reinforcing
innovation within the Space Sector.
DE&S project manager Melanie MacDonald, said:
We are developing critical software that will provide the UK
government with direct control of a range of future satellites.
As well as supporting wider government access to diverse
satellite data, this capability will support UK Armed Forces
operations and provide them with the edge they need to protect
the nation.
Nik Smith, Europe regional director for Lockheed Martin, said:
We are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside
DE&S on this exciting project. Working collaboratively, we
were able to identify a solution that is a modular, flexible
mission control system – based on commercial off-the-shelf open
source software – which we’ve already proven on many of our
military and commercial space missions.
The UK’s National Space Strategy is to build one of the most
innovative and attractive space economies in the world, and for
the UK to grow as a space-faring nation. Project Beroe is one of
the many space capability development initiatives that deliver
the National Space Strategy aim of using cutting edge research to
inspire the next generation, and sustain the UK’s competitive
edge in space science and technology.
