A British satellite to support military operations was successfully launched into space last night.
As “Europa Pravda” writes, this was reported by the British government.
A satellite named Tyche – it is the first satellite of the British Space Command, which can take daytime pictures and video recordings of the Earth's surface.
The satellite will strengthen the UK's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
“As the conflict in Ukraine has shown, the use of space is critical to military operations. Tyche is the first satellite to be launched as part of the space intelligence and surveillance programs of the Ministry of Defense, which provides for the creation of a constellation of satellites and auxiliary ground systems by 2031”, – says the message of the British Ministry of Defense.
These satellites will not only support military operations, but also contribute to other government tasks, including natural disaster monitoring, cartographic information development, environmental monitoring, and tracking the effects of climate change around the world.
Designed and built in the UK under a £22 million contract awarded by Defense Equipment & Support with Surrey Satellites Technology Limited (SSTL), the Tyche satellite is the first satellite wholly owned by the Ministry of Defence.
SSTL received its first signals from Tyche, which is about the size of a washing machine, hours after liftoff, confirming a successful launch.
Operating in low Earth orbit for five years, Tyche will provide timely space imagery in support of the UK Armed Forces.
Tyche was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California by SpaceX on a reusable Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter 11 mission.
As reported, the Royal Air Force Britain plans to deploy a radar station in Wales to track satellites in space to counter space threats from China and Russia.
The Pentagon is actively expanding its space warfare capabilities this year, as it believes that China's rapid progress and Russia in space operations poses an increasing threat to American satellites in orbit.