Fred Thomas, the Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, has called at Prime Minister’s Questions for a British-owned network of hundreds of low-cost AI satellites, and Deputy Prime Minister Louise Haigh said the Space Minister would meet him, according to remarks made in Parliament.
Thomas warned that relying on a small number of expensive sovereign satellites and on allied capabilities leaves Britain vulnerable. He proposed commercially built satellites in low Earth orbit that would analyse data in space using artificial intelligence and provide what he calls real-time “planetary intelligence”, and said the approach would also support the British space industry.
Thomas said: “Satellite intelligence is vital to our national security, but we cannot afford to remain reliant on a handful of expensive, vulnerable satellites.
“Britain has the technology and talent to do things differently. By combining hundreds of affordable British satellites with artificial intelligence, we could develop our own planetary intelligence capability. This would give us greater resilience and drive economic growth.
“This is about ensuring Britain has the sovereign capabilities it needs to defend itself in an increasingly dangerous world.”
Airbus won a £127 million contract in 2025 for two Oberon radar satellites due to launch in 2027, under an ISTARI programme that aims to have its surveillance constellation in place by 2031. Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, Chief of the Air Staff, said in September that £880 million is going on space-based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and space control. BAE Systems launched three Azalea satellites last year under a self-funded programme, with AI processing radio-frequency and radar data on board before sending intelligence to the ground.
Mr Thomas is in tune with the zeitgeist.
‘NATO first’…but whisper it quietly, Britain before that…