Photo: UK Space Agency
If somehow you didn’t know about this yet, Britain is going full speed ahead on the space-conquering journey. With every step its takes in this direction, it continues to build on its role as one of the top players in the future of space advancements. The most recent milestone is a huge one – UK’s Space Command is now officially launched.
The British Government announced the official opening of the new Space Command, after a special ceremony was held at Space Command Headquarters, RAF (Royal Air Force) High Wycombe. Led by Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey, the Space Command is meant to become the driving force that will direct all space-related matters within the Ministry of Defense, across three main domains: operation, workforce training and growth, plus space equipment development and delivery programs.
This new department will eventually control all of the existing space capabilities in the country, including UK’s Space Operations Center, RAF Fylingdales and SKYNET (a family of military communications satellites). Also, it will play an important role in ensuring multi domain integration, by working together with other institutions such as the Defense, Science and Technology Laboratory, and the UK Strategic Command.
This news came after the recent launch of the world’s first reprogrammable satellite, which was built in Britain, by Airbus in Portsmouth and Surrey Satellite Technology( SSTL) in Guildford. This new generation satellite is fully reconfigurable and can respond in real time, while in orbit, to evolving requests and needs on Earth. But Britain wants even more than to build highly-advanced satellites. It’s set on soon launching them from British, soil, for the first time in history.
After law regulations, earlier this year, allowed spaceports to be set-up in the UK for the first time, what could become the country’s first satellite launch site, Space Hub Sutherland, has started to be developed. If everything goes according to plan, we could hear about the first satellites to ever be launched from UK soil, as soon as next year.
This new department will eventually control all of the existing space capabilities in the country, including UK’s Space Operations Center, RAF Fylingdales and SKYNET (a family of military communications satellites). Also, it will play an important role in ensuring multi domain integration, by working together with other institutions such as the Defense, Science and Technology Laboratory, and the UK Strategic Command.
This news came after the recent launch of the world’s first reprogrammable satellite, which was built in Britain, by Airbus in Portsmouth and Surrey Satellite Technology( SSTL) in Guildford. This new generation satellite is fully reconfigurable and can respond in real time, while in orbit, to evolving requests and needs on Earth. But Britain wants even more than to build highly-advanced satellites. It’s set on soon launching them from British, soil, for the first time in history.
After law regulations, earlier this year, allowed spaceports to be set-up in the UK for the first time, what could become the country’s first satellite launch site, Space Hub Sutherland, has started to be developed. If everything goes according to plan, we could hear about the first satellites to ever be launched from UK soil, as soon as next year.
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