{"id":5150,"date":"2025-06-17T16:14:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T08:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/astroscale-secures-5-15m-uk-defence-contract-for-space-weather-awareness\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:14:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T08:14:59","slug":"astroscale-secures-5-15m-uk-defence-contract-for-space-weather-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/astroscale-secures-5-15m-uk-defence-contract-for-space-weather-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Astroscale Secures \u00a35.15M UK Defence Contract for Space Weather & Awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Astroscale<\/p>\n

Astroscale Ltd., the UK subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings, has been awarded a contract worth GBP 5.15 million by the UK\u2019s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) dedicated to science and technology in the defence and security sectors, via BAE Systems as the Dstl Serapis Framework lead. <\/p>\n

As global reliance on space infrastructure grows, so do the threats posed by space weather, adversarial actions, and orbital congestion. As a critical step in strengthening the UK\u2019s capabilities in space, the Orpheus mission objectives are to enhance our understanding of space weather and improve space situational awareness. <\/p>\n

A recent Lloyd\u2019s of London report1 highlights that an extreme space weather event, such as a severe solar storm, could result in global economic losses of up to $2.4 trillion, with disruptions to the ionosphere posing a significant threat to satellite communications, navigation systems, and critical defence infrastructure. <\/p>\n

Astroscale UK is working in partnership with subcontractor Open Cosmos Limited, who will design and build two near identical mini satellites, that Astroscale UK will operate for the mission. The satellites will fly in formation to observe and collect critical data using in situ and remote sensing techniques.   <\/p>\n

\n

Also Read: What is Space Situational Awareness (SSA)?<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

As a world leader in satellite Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) technology, Astroscale UK is uniquely positioned to leverage its in-orbit heritage and experience to lead this mission and successfully manage the operations of the satellites in close flight formation.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said <\/strong><\/em>Nick Shave<\/strong><\/em>, Managing Director of Astroscale UK<\/strong>. \u201cWe have successfully demonstrated our space mission implementation capability during our <\/em>ELSA-d mission in 2021<\/em>, 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\u2019s value to international partner nations.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n

Dstl <\/strong><\/em>Chief Executive, <\/strong><\/em>Dr Paul Hollinshead<\/strong><\/em>, said<\/strong>: \u201cChanges in space weather can have a critical impact on satellites which provide navigation aids, telecommunications, and data transmission. Sustained investment in space research in collaboration with our international partners strengthens the security of UK interests in space.\u201d <\/em> <\/p>\n

Orpheus is a collaborative effort to advance global initiatives toward a joint space architecture, with Astroscale working closely with Open Cosmos, who will provide advanced CubeSat solutions to enable faster space-based data acquisition. The payloads designed to characterise the ionosphere are being developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory, the University of Bath, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.  <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to partner with Astroscale on the Orpheus mission to enhance space domain awareness,\u201d said <\/strong><\/em>Rafel Jord\u00e0<\/strong><\/em>, CEO of Open Cosmos<\/strong>. \u201cOur advanced satellite solutions will provide the critical data needed to understand the ionosphere and protect vital space infrastructure. This mission exemplifies the power of collaboration in driving innovation and ensuring the security of our space assets.\u201d  <\/em><\/p>\n

This fully funded project will run for three years, concluding in 2028, and will cover the complete lifecycle of the mission, from design to launch and operations. The contract award from Dstl was made under the Serapis framework. As geopolitical and environmental threats to space infrastructure rise, Orpheus will deliver crucial insights, safeguarding vital UK and allied operations against emerging challenges. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Astroscale Ltd., the UK subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings, has been awarded a contract worth GBP 5.15 million by the UK\u2019s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) dedicated to science and technology in the defence and security sectors, via BAE Systems as the Dstl Serapis Framework lead.  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[26,25,20],"class_list":["post-5150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ground","tag-launch","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5150"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5150\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}