UK Space Command launched its first spy satellite, Tyche, in August last year (Image: Spacex 2024)
British troops will be able to look down on the battlescape “at any time and through any weather,” following a new £127m deal to rate a new satellite system.
Set to launch in 2027 Oberon will boost the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and enhance military operations around the globe, as well as assisting to tackle natural disasters.
Boasting advanced imagery sensors, “game changing” Oberon will build on the capabilities of Tyche, UK Space Command’s first satellite, which was launched in August last year.
Tyche, which is about the size of a washing machine, has already returned amazing imagery of strategic locations like , Sydney and the California wildfires, demonstrating its ability to capture imagery from anywhere on earth when our Armed Forces need it.
Built and designed in the UK, Oberon will support around 200 skilled jobs in Stevenage and Portsmouth, according to the MoD.
Crystal clear images of Heathrow airport captured by Tyche 300 miles above ground (Image: MoD 2025 )
Members of Space Command inspect the construction of Tyche in 2023 (Image: AS1 Palmer/MOD / SWNS)
The deal will see Airbus work with a raft of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises across the UK to build two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, each weighing 400kg (880lbs) and capable of capturing day and night-time images of the Earth’s surface in any weather conditions.
The antennas for the spacecraft will be supplied by Oxford Space Systems, which has developed carbon fibre structures that stow away in very small volumes for launch but spring into shape once in orbit.
“Oberon, alongside Tyche and other satellites in our ISTARI constellation, will allow us to observe what’s happening on Earth from space at any time and through any weather,” said Major General Paul Tedman, UK Space Commander.
“This will enable and enhance UK and allied military operations around the world.”
Paul Russell, Space team leader at the MoD’s Defence, Equipment and Support facility (DE&S) in Bristol said: “With the award of the Oberon contract, we will deliver the next in a series game changing capabilities to UK Space Command providing the UK military with leading Space Based Synthetic Aperture Radar whilst helping to keep our nation safe and prosperous. “
Ben Bridge, Airbus Defence and Space UK Chairman, added:”Oberon’s satellites will give the UK a much-needed sovereign capability and greatly enhance its space surveillance autonomy.
“These spacecraft will play a vital role in keeping our Armed Forces safe around the world.”