Footage shows the launch of the first satellite belonging to UK Space Command, which was launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
This is far from Britain’s first satellite but is the first operated by the new Space Command.
On Friday, August 16 at 11:56 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched Transporter-11, SpaceX’s 11th dedicated smallsat rideshare program mission, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Footage shows the launch of the first satellite belonging to UK Space Command, which was launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. The satellite will strengthen UK surveillance capabilities. This is far from Britain’s first satellite but is the first operated by the new Space Command. pic.twitter.com/LcwBQ1DrlH
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) August 26, 2024
A UK satellite to support military operations successfully launched into space. Named Tyche, the satellite is UK Space Command’s first satellite, which can capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface.
The satellite will strengthen the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. As the Ukraine conflict has shown, space use is crucial to military operations. Tyche is the first satellite to be launched under the Ministry of Defence’s space-based ISR programme, which will deliver a constellation of satellites and supporting ground systems by 2031.
These satellites will not only support military operations but also contribute to other government tasks, including natural disaster monitoring, the development of mapping information, environmental monitoring and tracking the impact of climate change around the world.
Designed and built in the UK through a £22 million contract awarded by Defence Equipment & Support to Surrey Satellites Technology Limited (SSTL), Tyche is the latest satellite to be fully owned by the Ministry of Defence.
SSTL received the first signals from Tyche – which is comparable in size to a washing machine – a few hours after lift-off, confirming the successful launch.
Just goes to show Elon Musk isn’t all bad 🙂
🚀 Vroom..
What’s Putin having for lunch 🍌 🤗
Ukranian Borscht with Chicken Kiev for sides. 😅🍗
It’s hard to believe that for £22 million we can get a satellite with 90cm resolution on orbit for 5 years. We should expand ISTARI and move up to a constellation of 5 Tyche and 5 Oberon vehicles giving us daily coverage in SAR and EO of any spot on the planet daily. At 160kg these satellites are well inside the launchers being developed to fly from Scotland and we should put money towards those launchers so that we can have a rapid ability to deploy a satellite from UK soil. That would put us in the premier league of… Read more »
The UK doesn’t have the funds or personnel (not to mention will) to equip its current authorized strength but, somehow, it’s going to find the funds and personnel to match what the US has in Space Command. If you think that duplicating what the US has can be done for little cost then make me an offer on this bridge in Brooklyn that’s for sale.
If you read what I wrote I’m taking about European NATO building an infra red missile warning and tracking satellite system based on HotSat and two small French satellites in orbit, not replicating the entire US Space Force list of assets.
Are you actually aware of the US system and what it entails and how it’s being replaced?
Kind of hard to have a debate if your not, you can keep the bridge.
Complete crap. What have you been snorting this weekend?
Which bit?
An area of expansion but the assets the US have are phenomenal mate, and that is just the ones they acknowledge.
We won’t be matching them, if ever.
I’m just pleased these small steps are happening.
I’m only referring to the infrared missile warning and tracking constellation. Many of the US assets are old and expensive and being replaced by smaller cheaper more distributed systems like I’m advocating.
I think you might be assuming that since the US plans to move to a more distributed architecture for its satellites instead of its traditional exquisite multi billion dollar platforms that what they have flying around up there is old. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The US treats it’s early warning satellites as a no fail mission and is critical to its nuclear deterrence. As a matter of fact the US military have all but admitted that they are aware of almost any missile launch in certain areas of the planet within seconds. And that’s not just large… Read more »
Excuse my ignorance, but does the Falcon9 land back at the same place that it took off from?……
No, they land on a barge floating off the coast.
Because the rocket needs to tilt over in order to start getting the payload into an orbit, it can’t return to where it started.
Trust me, I play Kerbal Space Program.
You need to stop playing games when you are working or studying, it’ll interfere with your education.
Interesting exchanges with X (whale Island Zoo Keeper),on NL BTW. I think he likes you really. He’s yet to really insult you !!!!😎
Working, studying & eating disturbs my game playing!
Exactly! 🤣
KSP is quite good education-wise, as games go (I tend to play the more engineer-y, vehicle-builder types).
Tons of stuff on aerospace design (I tend to use it to build copies of missiles and test-fly them) and orbital mechanics.
It’s can come back it just requires more fuel, Super Heavy will come back to the lunch pad.
It depends on how heavy the payload it’s carrying is. The booster can land at the cape for lighter loads and typically the side boosters from Falcon Heavy do this. For most payloads the core stage of falcon 9 will land on a barge. If it’s carrying a very heavy load or a higher orbit is required then the core stage is sometimes expended with no return.
Shhhhh! Isn’t this spy stuff supposed to be secret?
It is good that the hardware is owned by our government.
If our closest Ally is ‘taken down’, we in UK need to survive with our own tech, own missiles, own defence modes and own nouse….. own everything.
Having our own space command is superb, and re-routing cheap satellite builds via our ‘to be’ space port to be controlled by our own space command will complement our troops and navy to protect us if the moment comes.
Sure we can share with others, but we own it for when we need it