Pair of UK companies move forward with low-cost radar satellite

SWINDON, United Kingdom - Two British companies are to push forward with the development of an ultra-low-cost radar satellite. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and Oxford Space Systems hope the work will lead to a demonstration flight in 2021. The mission would marry OSS's novel antenna design with SSTL's expertise in small satellite systems. Space radar's unique selling point is its ability to sense the ground in all conditions - day or night, and no matter the amount of cloud in the sky, reports Jonathan Amos for the BBC.

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The Intelligent Aerospace take:

April 2, 2019- "The funding to develop this innovative Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload will enable an exciting collaboration on new technology that will be developed here in the UK and will be of huge interest to customers in Europe and the rest of the world,” said Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency.

The SAR payload will be made up of a "wrapped rib" design deployable antenna from OSS and a RF system from SSTL. When the project is completed, a demonstration mission will be performed with a target date of 2021. The project aims to bring low-cost spaced-based radar that can sense the ground in the day or night, in cloud cover or in clear conditions.

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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

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