UK Military Space-Autonomy Contracts

UK Space Autonomy

1. Oberon SAR Satellites – Airbus

2. Tyche & Juno ISR Satellites – SSTL

3. Borealis Space C2 Software – CGI UK

4. Skynet 6A & Skynet Communications Backbone – Airbus/Babcock

  • Contractors: Airbus Defence and Space (satellite build), Babcock International (operations)
  • Scope: Next-gen military communications satellites and ground network
  • Value: £500 million+ for Skynet 6A; £400 million ground service contract airforce-technology.com+3en.wikipedia.org+3airbus.com+3

5. Amazon Kuiper “Translator” Study – Project Kuiper

  • Contractor: Amazon (Project Kuiper)
  • Scope: Feasibility study for link bridging between military, government, allied, and commercial satellites
  • Value: £670,000 totaltele.com+1en.wikipedia.org+1

6. Space-Domain Awareness – Spaceflux + UK Space Command

  • Contractor: Spaceflux
  • Scope: Global optical sensor network and AI telemetry for tracking GEO satellites, with ground sensor in Cyprus
  • Value: Undisclosed; contracts awarded geospatialworld.net

7. National Launch Infrastructure – SaxaVord & RFA


🔍 Summary Table

ProjectContractor(s)Focus AreaValue
Oberon SAR satellitesAirbusISR in all conditions~£127 m
Tyche & Juno ISR microsatsSSTLOptical ISR and video capability~£40 m
Borealis C2 softwareCGI UKGround control & data processing£65 m
Skynet 6A comms networkAirbus + BabcockSecure military communications>£500 m + £400 m
Amazon Kuiper translator studyProject KuiperSatellite interoperability study£670k
Space-domain awareness sensorsSpacefluxTracking GEO satellitesUndisclosed
SaxaVord rapid-launch capabilityRFA + SaxaVordSovereign satellite launch systemGovt-backed

🧭 Strategic Insight

The UK is rapidly scaling autonomy in the space domain with a full-stack approach:

  • Orbital expansion: Deploying SAR and optical satellites.
  • C2 and analytics: Building AI-powered ground systems.
  • Secure comms backbone: Ensuring sovereign messaging via Skynet.
  • Resilience: Launch independence via SaxaVord builds flexibility.

This portfolio positions the UK to move from dependency toward truly sovereign and agile military space-autonomy, bridging capability gaps through strategic public-private partnerships.