UK National Space Strategy

[Yokel]

Spaceport Cornwall would be very sad to read that. Semantics aside, the launch has to start somewhere.

I take your point.

I assume that the launch aircraft will take off from Newquay, but it is not quite the same as a rocket blasting off from a launch pad. Nonetheless I would be interested in learning more - will Spaceport Cornwall have the facilities for integrating the satellite and launcher, and the telemetry and telecommand to monitor and control the launch?

 

[orgASMic]

I take your point.

I assume that the launch aircraft will take off from Newquay, but it is not quite the same as a rocket blasting off from a launch pad. Nonetheless I would be interested in learning more - will Spaceport Cornwall have the facilities for integrating the satellite and launcher, and the telemetry and telecommand to monitor and control the launch?

AFAIK, the launch vehicle comes as a single unit, so the payload and fuel are the only things that need adding on site. VO's telemetry is mostly via SATCOM so could be anywhere.

 

[Yokel]

AFAIK, the launch vehicle comes as a single unit, so the payload and fuel are the only things that need adding on site. VO's telemetry is mostly via SATCOM so could be anywhere.

Integrating the payload will be a major task requiring specialist facilities and skills. There will also need to be a control centre for the launch - which would normally be located at the launch site. Dos the company have any cool videos?

What sort of fuel (and oxidiser) will it need?

 

[orgASMic]

Integrating the payload will be a major task requiring specialist facilities and skills. There will also need to be a control centre for the launch - which would normally be located at the launch site. Dos the company have any cool videos?

What sort of fuel (and oxidiser) will it need?

I am only peripherally involved on the ATC side but I know there's a lot of LOx required.

 

[Yokel]

Did you know that the UK has a Satellite Applications Catapult?

About Us

The Satellite Applications Catapult is at the heart of the satellite services revolution, driving take-up of space technology and applications to shape, and sustain, the world of tomorrow. We’re driven by how our actions help the organisations we work with, both large and small, bring new services to market. By connecting industry and academia we get new research off the ground and into the market more quickly.

 

[Yokel]

More conventional launches are part of Britain's future in space.

Lockheed Martin works with specialist cleanroom lifting company

British manufacturer and supplier of commercially off the shelf and bespoke lifting and handling equipment, Hoist UK, has joined forces with aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin.

The new collaboration was to create a bespoke lifting and handling solution for processing within a Satellite Integration Laboratory (SIL) in Harwell, Oxfordshire for the UK's vertical launch space programme.

This innovative project has resulted in the lifting and manoeuvring of a small spacecraft in a final stage condition before heading to launch from UK soils.

 

[Yokel]

Edinburgh-based rocket firm Skyrora accelerating ambitions with hire of former SpaceX exec - The Scotsman

Skyrora said his arrival comes as it seeks to conduct 16 launches a year from the Saxavord launch complex in Shetland alone by 2030.

He said: “With Skyrora leading the way in UK launch and building infrastructure for the future of the UK’s space economy, it’s an exciting time to join the company. Currently, the UK is completely reliant on the US and, although this is a crucial relationship, Skyrora is building towards a future when space capabilities in this country will allow for regular sovereign launches.

“Space capability is now critical to providing an edge when it comes to defence. Skyrora’s mobile, agile and responsive launch and on-orbit capability can provide the UK with something it has been missing and bolster its special relationship with the US,” he added, also flagging the firm’s “responsible and sustainable attitude towards spaceflight”.

Skyrora founder and chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said: “We’re delighted that Lee has joined Skyrora and offering his unparalleled leadership and expertise to the team as we continue to hit crucial milestones in our push towards a maiden launch from UK soil.”

 

[Yokel]

Combining commercial space with national security needs - UK Defence Journal

Headlines often focus on the government’s ambition to have the first orbital launch from European soil, but it is the partnerships with the UK’s flourishing commercial space companies that will net the biggest national security returns for a reasonable investment. Having the capacity to launch national security payloads from your own territory brings the advantage of being able to do so rapidly, but this should chiefly be understood through the lens of deepening cooperation between public and private interests in the space domain.

Being able to gather and disseminate information in a modern conflict, as well as the rapid reaction capability to stay ahead of hostile disruption, will be essential to commanding UK forces away from home. Russia launched its invasion with a targeted hack of Viasat, an American company that provides satellite internet services throughout Eastern Europe, that was designed to cripple Ukraine’s ability to communicate with its frontline soldiers. GCHQ should partner, where appropriate, with the UK’s many cyber-focused space companies and their products – be it harder to crack software or nearly impossible to intercept hardware like laser communications.

 

[Yokel]

Out of historical interest, does anyone know much about the proposed HOTOL project?

Was it initiated by Government or industry? Was it intended to be a satellite launch platform or something else? Would it have been able to launch satellites in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, or merely lower orbits? Was there any predicted cost per vehicle, or per launch? Did it have any connection to things such as Skynet, or was it hoped to get some of the commercial satellite launch market?

 

[Yokel]

I have found this video about HOTOL:



I have often wondered if HM Government should have simply offered a prize of so many millions to the first orbital launch from the UK or by a British vehicle, and let groups of universities and industrial consortia get on with things. Obviously the competition would need to have rules for safety and security.