Photo: SSTL

Guildford-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has signed a £22 million contract with Defence Equipment and Support on behalf of UK Space Command for a 150kg satellite based on SSTL’s Carbonite+. Project ‘TYCHE’ is the first satellite procurement for the ‘MINERVA’ programme, which is a key enabler in the development of the foundation for a UK Space-based Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) constellation under programme ‘ISTARI’.

Delivered under a three-year build programme, the TYCHE mission will be compatible with both horizontal as well as vertical launch and will be operated from SSTL’s Spacecraft Operations Centre in Guildford.

Phil Brownnett, SSTL’s managing director, said: “We are delighted that Space Command has signed with SSTL for a Carbonite+ satellite, and we are looking forward to working together on this pivotal mission for the UK. We have established an excellent relationship with Space Command, and by working closely together we have evolved and enhanced our Carbonite+ spacecraft design for the Project TYCHE programme.”

The key outcome of project TYCHE will be a ‘robust understanding and analysis’ of the integration activities, test environments and interfaces required to establish and maintain UK Ministry of Defence’s right to ‘freely operate a space-based ISR capability’.

The project TYCHE contract provides sustained employment at SSTL, with up to 100 employees directly contributing to the successful project delivery, together with increased opportunities for UK start-ups, SMEs, and VSCEs to become involved.