Airbus has secured a $157.2 million contract with the U.K. Ministry of Defence to design and build two synthetic aperture radar satellites.
According to Airbus, the satellite system, to be called Oberon, will provide British and allied forces with day-and-night, all-weather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as ultra-high-resolution images.
Airbus will design, build and test the 400-kilogram satellites at its U.K. facilities in Stevenage and Portsmouth. Additional ground segment and geospatial intelligence capabilities will be developed in Guildford, Newcastle, Newport and Chippenham, while local firm Oxford Space Systems will supply the antennas. The French manufacturer assures that the development of Oberon’s payload, space and ground systems will support British small and medium enterprises across its supply chains.
“Oberon’s satellites will give the U.K. a much-needed sovereign capability and greatly enhance its space surveillance and intelligence autonomy,” Airbus Defence and Space UK Chairman Ben Bridge said in a statement. “Airbus in the UK has more than 45 years experience in the design and build of high-resolution radar satellites and, once in orbit, these spacecraft will play a vital role in keeping our armed forces safe around the world.”
The Oberon program, part of the MoD’s broader ISTARI initiative, will build on the progress made by Tyche, the first satellite launched by the U.K. Space Command last year. These satellites will support military operations such as tracking adversaries and other government tasks such as climate change assessments and natural disaster monitoring.
The Oberon system is expected to launch in 2027 and create hundreds of skilled jobs across the U.K.