UK space company to establish link with the far side of the Moon
Thursday, 16 September 2021 09:29
A UK satellite company will provide the first commercial link
between Earth and the Moon. The satellite, named Lunar Pathfinder,
will be vital for the planned return missions to the Moon. Built by
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and supported by £11.6
million in UK Space Agency funding via the European Space Agency
(ESA), the satellite will also allow greater freedom for rovers
operating on the far side of the Moon,...Request free trial
A UK satellite company will provide the first commercial
link between Earth and the Moon.
The satellite, named Lunar Pathfinder, will be vital for
the planned return missions to the Moon. Built by Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and supported by £11.6
million in UK Space Agency funding via the European Space
Agency (ESA), the satellite will also allow greater freedom
for rovers operating on the far side of the Moon, allowing
them to manoeuvre out of sight of their lander.
Science Minister
said:
Surrey Satellite Technology has taken Britain’s
expertise in navigation and telecommunications to
the next level. Having already delivered
state-of-the-art communications services to the
International Space Station, UK technology will now
help sustainable return to the Moon for the first
time in nearly 50 years.
By investing in our space sector, including £11.6m
today for the Lunar Pathfinder satellite, we are
helping UK companies to support major international
missions, firmly securing our place as a
world-leading space nation.
Due to the proximity of the Lunar Pathfinder
spacecraft to Earth, the service will also facilitate
missions on the near side of the Moon, providing
customers with faster transfers of data while keeping
their costs down.
In May 2021, the UK Space
Agency announced that SSTL, along with Inmarsat
and MDA UK, had been selected to lead a study under
ESA’s Moonlight initiative. The study set out the
infrastructure required for the consortium to deliver
a constellation of Lunar communication and navigation
satellites.
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