UK invests in satellites to challenge EU’s Galileo

Britain said yesterday it would start work on an alternative satellite system to the European Union’s Galileo project to ensure its national security if it is barred from equal access to the EU programme after Brexit.

The British government, which still wants to remain involved in Galileo, said it would spend £92 million ($117 million, Dh435.34 million) on plans for an independent satellite system, led by the UK Space Agency with support from the Ministry of Defence.

The Galileo system, which will eventually have 30 satellites, is designed to compete with the US Global Positioning System (GPS), used for commercial, military and other critical applications such as guiding aircraft.

British technology has been instrumental in Galileo’s development, and London has been angered by moves to shut British companies out of the project before Brexit next year.

The EU has said it is honouring the existing laws.

‘Investing in alternative’

Britain said that unless it can continue to collaborate on an equal basis and has access to security-related information needed for military functions like missile guidance, it will leave the project.

“We are investing in an alternative option to Galileo to ensure our future security needs are met using the UK’s world-leading space sector,” Business Secretary Greg Clark told journalists yesterday.

“Our position on Galileo has been consistent and clear. We have repeatedly highlighted the specialist expertise we bring to the project and the risks in time delays and cost increases that the European Commission is taking by excluding UK industry.”

Britain asserted it had skills, expertise and commitment to create it own satellite system. Such a system could be up and running in four to five years, and cost about £3 billion (Dh14.3 billion), one expert said in May.