UK Military Space Projects
Launch vehicles and sounding rockets from the Black Arrow and Skylark programmes were sent into space as early as 1957, mainly from the Australian Woomera site. This allowed the UK to understand the impact of the space environment and to enable us, in 1971, to be the sixth nation to launch a satellite into orbit – the RAE Prospero satellite.
Even at the dawn of the space race with the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, the UK and its Cold War allies were listening. In the UK, this included the electronic surveillance systems at RAF Lasham in Hampshire. This information was processed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Farnborough – the forerunner of Dstl.
Military satellite communications have been provided by the Skynet series of satellites, operating in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) since 1969. Dstl and its predecessors have provided a crucial role in developing and assuring these systems and continue to provide advice to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on future satellites.
The Space Object Identification Programme began in RAE’s Special Systems Department in 1982. The techniques developed at RAE used inverse synthetic aperture radar to produce high resolution images of space objects using ground-based radar data. The programme continued to provide valuable imaging data until 2001.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Dstl’s predecessor agencies developed multiple earth observation (EO) satellites and collaborated with nations such as the United States and Canada. This included the space technology research vehicles, a series of 4 satellites using many novel space technologies, and the industry-led TopSat satellite, a joint venture between MOD and the then British National Space Centre.
The Dstl Space Programme began in 2014 and has just been relaunched with an injection of £50 million over the next 5 years.This is a clear sign of the importance of space capabilities to MOD. The programme will continue to build on the historic achievements of Dstl’s predecessors by looking at developments in EO, communications and the space environment with applications for the defence and security of the UK.
At the RAF Air and Space Power conference 18 July 2019, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt outlined an ambitious space program, committing £30m to fast-track the launch of a small satellite demonstrator within a year. The small satellite demonstrator, which will be supported by a new transatlantic team of UK and US defence personnel, named Team ARTEMIS, will sit alongside a host of other programmes that will demonstrate the UK's leading future role in space. This includes the UK becoming the first partner nation to join Operation Olympic Defender, a US-led international coalition formed to strengthen deterrence against hostile actors and seconding a RAF test pilot to Virgin Orbit's small satellite program.
To bring all this work together, the Defence Secretary has announced that Joint Forces Command, the organisation design to coordinate activity across the Armed Forces, will be transformed into Strategic Command and given a greater strategic role across the five war-fighting domains: Air, Land, Sea, Cyber and Space.
Speaking at the Royal Air Force Air and Space Power Conference in London, the Defence Secretary said: "Today we show the sky is no longer the limit for our Armed Forces with a multi-million-pound investment in the launch of a small satellite demonstrator, supported by a new transatlantic team of defence personnel."
"In the face of evolving threats from hostile actors in space, we are acting more closely than ever with our international allies through Five Eyes, NATO and now Operation Olympic Defender."
"Faced with the evolving threats posed by grey-zone warfare, our transformed Strategic Command will provide the structure and coordination our Armed Forces need across all five domains."
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, said: "I am delighted that the Secretary of State has announced our plans to take our space ambitions to the next stage through Project ARTEMIS. When this is combined with our investments in the training and development of our people, improved command and control, greater space situational awareness, and our commitment to the Space Coalition with our allies, it all underlines the important and constantly growing role of Space in the Royal Air Force's capabilities."
"ARTEMIS gives us the opportunity to grow skills, understand the military relevance of small satellites and responsive launch, and consider how to get space-based information to the warfighter in operationally relevant timelines, all of which are vital to ensure we stay ahead of the evolving threat."
The Defence Secretary announced that the small satellite demonstrator would be launched within a year, funded through the multi-million-pound Transformation Fund. These small, low-orbiting satellites can be sent into space more cost-effectively than their predecessors and can be replaced far more quickly. The programme may eventually see live high-resolution video beamed directly into the cockpit of the RAF's fighter jet fleet, providing pilots with unprecedented levels of battle awareness. To support this state-of-the-art system, the MOD has founded Team ARTEMIS, a transatlantic team of UK and US defence and industry personnel. Team ARTEMIS intend to deliver the launch of the small satellites and undertake research into the wider military uses of small satellites. The UK is already a world-leader in small satellite technology, including an investment of £4.5 million last year in the Carbonite 2 spacecraft. Carbonite 2 achieved a world-first in returning colour video from Low Earth Orbit.
The Defence Secretary's speech highlighted the evolving threats faced by the UK in the space domain. China has tested hit-to-kill interceptor missiles and Russia has conducted successful flight trials of anti-satellite missile systems. The Defence Secretary stressed the importance of cooperation with international allies in space, announcing the UK has become the first formal partner in the US-led Operation Olympic Defender: a multinational coalition formed to strengthen deterrence against hostile actors in space and reduce the spread of debris in orbit. The UK will add 8 personnel to the coalition over the next 18 months, joining counterparts from the US and other international partners at the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) in California.
The Defence Secretary also confirmed that the RAF has seconded a member of staff to the Virgin Orbit programme. Virgin Orbit is undertaking pioneering research into launching small satellites into space from the wing of a Boeing 747 aircraft. Virgin Orbit completed a landmark 'drop test' of a rocket at 35,000 feet to test the separation of the rocket and aircraft during launch.
The Defence Secretary also announced the transformation of Joint Forces Command to Strategic Command to tackle evolving 'grey zone' threats. Following the review of Joint Forces Command as part of the Modernising Defence Programme, Strategic Command will take on a greater role leading integration across the five war-fighting domains: Air, Land, Sea, Cyber and Space. The new body will oversee the Armed Forces' digital information network to ensure the services operate at the forefront of the information environment and continue to lead the UK's Permanent Joint Operating Bases in managing operations and providing critical advice on force development.
The Defence Secretary acknowledged the success of Dstl's 'Space to Innovate' competition worth over £2m to fast track new technologies designed to defend the UK's assets in orbit. The competition, run by the Defence, Science and Technology Lab (Dstl), and aided by the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), focuses on technology designed to boost the surveillance capability of UK satellites and identify potentially hostile actors in space.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) invested over £1.5m in space facilities at Portsdown West, with the installation of a new satellite ground control station to support future space research activities for the MOD. The terminal will be able to direct satellites in both low-Earth and geosynchronous orbits.
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