A new British military observation satellite named Titania has been deployed into orbit, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Described as a fresh "pair of eyes" orbiting the Earth, the reconnaissance probe will support the armed forces in monitoring military activity back on Earth.
Weighing 100kg and roughly the size of a household washing machine, the satellite was launched from California in October aboard a reusable SpaceX rocket.
The mission follows the deployment of a comparable spacecraft, Tyche, two years prior.
The pair will form part of a wider network of British military satellites, manufactured by UK firms and overseen by Britain's Space Command.
BAE Systems-built Titania and Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL)-built Tyche will eventually be joined by Juno, also produced by SSTL, alongside Oberon, engineered by Airbus.
Drawing their names from classical and Shakespearean characters, the orbiters belong to the wider Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Information (ISTARI) initiative.
The MoD also announced it is trialling new advanced ground-based sensors across three worldwide sites under Project Inaros to monitor space.
Full story HERE
Described as a fresh "pair of eyes" orbiting the Earth, the reconnaissance probe will support the armed forces in monitoring military activity back on Earth.
Weighing 100kg and roughly the size of a household washing machine, the satellite was launched from California in October aboard a reusable SpaceX rocket.
The mission follows the deployment of a comparable spacecraft, Tyche, two years prior.
The pair will form part of a wider network of British military satellites, manufactured by UK firms and overseen by Britain's Space Command.
BAE Systems-built Titania and Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL)-built Tyche will eventually be joined by Juno, also produced by SSTL, alongside Oberon, engineered by Airbus.
Drawing their names from classical and Shakespearean characters, the orbiters belong to the wider Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Information (ISTARI) initiative.
The MoD also announced it is trialling new advanced ground-based sensors across three worldwide sites under Project Inaros to monitor space.
Full story HERE