Astroscale UK wins MoD contract to study space weather – UKTN

Astroscale UK, the British subsidiary of Tokyo-based space tech group Astroscale, has been awarded a contract worth over £5m from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to gather data about space weather.

As highlighted in a recent report from Lloyd’s of London, extreme space weather events, such as solar storms, could result in trillions in economic losses globally.

Looking to improve space situational awareness, the MoD has tasked Astroscale UK with operating two mini satellites that will fly in formation to observe and collect critical data on space weather. The satellites will be constructed by subcontractor Open Cosmos.

The funding comes from the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an executive agency within the MoD.

“The Dstl Orpheus mission is an important opportunity for Astroscale to demonstrate our capability to deliver innovative missions in the Defence arena and in support of national security,” said Nick Shave, managing director of Astroscale UK.

“We have successfully demonstrated our space mission implementation capability during our ELSA-d mission in 2021, and the ADRAS-J close proximity inspection mission in 2024.

“We are pleased to contribute our space mission design, development, integration and operations experience to ensure a successful mission which will also demonstrate the UK’s value to international partner nations.”

The mission, called Orpheus, is a collaborative effort to support joint global space architecture. Additional support for the mission will come from researchers at the US Navy, the University of Bath and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.

“Changes in space weather can have a critical impact on satellites which provide navigation aids, telecommunications and data transmission,” said Dstl chief executive Dr Paul Hollinshead.

“Sustained investment in space research in collaboration with our international partners strengthens the security of UK interests in space.”

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