Shoebox-sized satellites a small step for UK

BRITAIN will join the space race with the launch of shoebox-sized satellites from Cornwall this summer.

Equipped with Ministry of Defence kit, the two “cubesats” will take off on a Virgin Orbit Launcher One rocket from Newquay airport.

The first satellite launch from British soil, it will show the country’s ability to rival spacefaring nations such as the US, Russia and China.

The Prometheus-2s, designed by Airbus and Hampshire-based In-space Missions, are 30cm (12in) long, 20cm wide and 10cm deep.

They will deliver imaging sensors for the MOD and allow the UK to observe satellites belonging to other nations. The rocket is to be carried 35,000ft above the ocean aboard a modified Boeing 747 jet named Cosmic Girl.

It will be released by the pilot and fire up five seconds later, catapulting its payload into orbit at 8,000mph.

Britain has had satellites launched before, notably in 1971 in Woomera, Australia, as part of a space programme that was cancelled.

Jeremy Quin, defence procurement minister, said: “Space technology is crucial for developing defence capabilities and the launch of Prometheus-2 represents another important step forward for our homegrown space programme.

“This collaboration with In-space Missions and Airbus paves the way for the UK to become a more resilient, more robust and more significant global space entity.”

The ability to launch from domestic soil is the final piece in the puzzle for the UK, whose space industry made total revenues of £16.5billion in 2020, according to the UK Space Agency.

About 3,000 jobs were added to the industry that year, making a total of 47,000, with the majority in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Glasgow alone manufactures more satellites than anywhere else in Europe. Because they can be very compact, they require only small rockets to lift them, allowing a raft of start-up companies to emerge in developing rockets, fuel, satellites and even factories in space.