UK Space Command launches first military satellite
Tyche launched on 16th August, 2024, and is the first in a constellation of military-focused satellites. (Photo: Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd)
Tyche satellite will deliver military situational awareness for Ministry of Defence decision-making.
UK Space Command has successfully launched the country’s first dedicated satellite to support military operations.
Named Tyche, the satellite was built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), and was launched on 16 August, alongside 115 other low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, from a Space X Falcon 9 Transporter-11 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Tyche will capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface, and its images will be used to strengthen the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. It is the first satellite to be launched under Space Command’s £127 million (US$164 million) MINERVA programme, the precursor to an operational constellation under Programme ISTARI, which it is hoped will be up and running by 2031.
Related Articles
Airbus wins UK Skynet 5 military satellite design support contract
Arctic broadband satellites launched for reliable military connectivity
Tyche is a member of SSTL’s newest Carbonite-class of satellites. The class features high-resolution optical, mid-wave infra-red or Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payloads. Tyche itself is fitted with the high-resolution optical payload delivering sub-1m GSD imagery with an inter-satellite link and on board processing capability.
Significantly, Tyche is also the first such satellite to be wholly owned by the UK Ministry of Defence.
Built by SSTL on a £22 million contract, the satellite’s signals were received at Space Command a few hours after its launch.
While it is envisaged that the constellation’s primary role will be to improve military situational awareness around the world, it will also deliver the likes of disaster monitoring and management data, and track the impact of climate change.
UK space commander, Major General Paul Tedman said: “The successful launch of Tyche has shown that UK Space Command, and its essential partners across defence and industry, can rapidly take a concept through to the delivery of a satellite capability on orbit.
"Tyche represents the first of a future constellation of ISR satellites that we’ll launch over the coming years.”
Tyche and the subsequent satellites in the constellation will have a five-year lifespan from their point of activation.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end]()
AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end
Persistent Systems received its largest ever single order for its MPU5 devices and other systems earlier this month and has already delivered the 50 units to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
-
![Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella]()
Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella
Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.
-
![DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system]()
DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system
MARSS’ NiDAR system has been deployed using sensors from static platforms to provide detection and protection for static sights, such as critical infrastructure, ports and military bases.
-
![Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training]()
Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training
Australia is looking to improve its presence in space with a focus on communications and creating a dedicated segment of its defence forces committed to the domain.
-
![EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI]()
EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI
The Portuguese company’s naval communications system is in service across more than a dozen countries. It has turned to its home nation for support in developing a new vehicle based C2 system.
-
![Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker]()
Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker
The Vision4ce Deep Embedded Feature Tracking (DEFT) technology software is designed to process video and images by blending traditional computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to present actionable information from complex environments.
