Brexit Britain is creating its own network of surveillance satellites

If the UK leaves the EU it is planning on dropping support for the Galileo space project. A new cluster of satellites, dubbed Project Oberon, is being planned by the military and they'll be able to see ground in startling detail

Brexit has cast a dark cloud over Britain’s space industry, but the government is planning to create a constellation of small satellites that could give it unprecedented surveillance abilities.

The government’s defence lab at Porton Down is developing technology that will allow a number of small Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites to capture high resolution images. The satellites use radar technology to create 2D and 3D images of the landscapes they travel above.

The UK has never had a SAR satellite system and has instead been reliant on other nations for such technology. The creation of its own SAR satellite constellation would provide the Ministry of Defence (MOD) with an increased ability to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Developments in the interpretation of SAR imagery means the military can now use the technology to understand more information, which can help with the identification of moving targets on the ground and improve the targeting of weapons. Unlike other optical satellites, this can all be done at night and in stormy weather conditions.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has put a contract out to tender for the development of the SAR satellite system.

In a throwback to when the UK had a vibrant space defence programme, the DSTL has dubbed this Project Oberon after the character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. "In the 1960s and 70s government-funded research satellites were named after Shakespearian characters such as Arial, Prospero and Miranda,” says DSTL space technical fellow Darren Muff. “We wanted to recognise the old pioneers and carry on the tradition.”

The tender for the SAR system follows on from the UK government funding Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) to create the prototype NovaSAR satellite.

“NovaSar is the first all UK built SAR spacecraft,” says SSTL director of Earth Observation Andrew Cawthorne. “It is the government’s first foray into SAR imaging and now they are exploring if it should be taken further with other frequency bands and how might we [the UK] benefit from a constellation [of SAR satellites].”

NovaSAR is being used by the security services for maritime surveillance and is able to detect any suspicious activity by identifying vessels that are either transmitting no automatic identification system (AIS) signal or a misleading signal. NovaSAR, which is also known as S1-4, was launched from an Indian rocket in September this year.

It was the first step in creating a wider system of UK-owned satellites. Project Oberon aims to have the SAR technology ready for on-orbit demonstration by 2022, which could lead to an operational capability by 2025 if it receives Ministry of Defence funding, according to Muff.

The UK’s proposed investment in SAR is a stark contrast to recent headlines concerning the British space industry. On November 30, prime minister Theresa May confirmed the UK would not use the EU Galileo space project for military or defence purposes, instead choosing to create another system.

“This sort of investment is reminiscent of a time before UK space policy was lobotomised by Brexit, where you have key capability gaps being identified that may be useful on a sovereign basis,” says Bleddyn Bowen, a lecturer in space policy at the University of Leicester.

When it comes to national capability for both civil and defence purposes, satellites offer three different types of service: positioning, observation and communications capability. There is often a great deal of horse-trading when it comes to nations sharing such capabilities.

Project Oberon’s tender is looking into satellites that weigh less than 500KG, which is the standard definition of a small satellite. Nevertheless, a ‘small satellite’ can vary significantly in size and capability, ranging from the size of a shoe box to the size of a car.

The low-cost small satellites of Oberon would negate the need for a much larger satellite that could potentially cost hundreds of millions of pounds. However, it will not be without its challenges because it will require a precise timing alignment between all the signals received across the satellite cluster.

The greatest advantage of SAR technology is its ability to be used at all times, which means it offers significant benefits to the security and defence industry. “With normal optical imaging you are constrained to imaging during the day time and when it is not cloudy,” says Cawthorne. “The ability to take images in all weather and at the night is where you really get the benefit of Synthetic Aperture Radar because it basically means you can be guaranteed to get an image.

“People know the optical satellites all fly over in the daytime so if somebody is doing something that they don’t want to be seen they can make sure they do it at night time.”

Muff claims Project Oberon would provide the UK with unique suite of radio frequency (RF) sensing capabilities through signal processing and computing techniques, a notable area of strength for the UK. He concludes that this would allow the UK to “leap-frog the capabilities of other nations whilst developing confidence in defence space capabilities”.

This could help give the British space industry a confidence and strength it has not felt since the 1960s and 70s. Paul Febvre, the chief technology officer at the UK’s Satellite Applications Catapult, believes the increase in observation capabilities a SAR system will provide will significantly increase the UK’s bargaining power. “The interesting aspect of this Oberon contract is it moves the needle with regard to something that provides a national capability for global observability,” says Febvre. “There is a need to enhance our national capability for negotiation.”

Much has been made of May's claim to pull the Galileo plug after Brexit. Reports say the UK is unlikely to recover the £1.2 billion it has invested in the EU project. However, Dr Bowen claims the statements made from May were “pure political theatre” to make it look like the UK had agency in the matter.

“It is still possible for Britain to negotiate its place as a passive user within the PRS [military signal] service in the same way that we have got now with America’s GPS,” Bowen says. “We won’t develop or build the system and have access to the inner workings and the stuff that is underneath the bonnet, but we will still be able to have access to the military signal.”

Bowen questions the £92m feasibility study into a national alternative to the Galileo programme that has been announced by the UK Space Agency. He believes the money could be better spent elsewhere such as programmes akin to Project Oberon that would fill more pressing gaps in UK space capability.

“What if that £92m for the feasibility study was actually spent on starting to build the spaceport?,” Bowen says. “That is a more feasible bet on the British space economy than building a system that is massively expensive, will take a very long time and will preclude investments in better areas of the British space sector.