The UK has successfully launched its first military spy satellite into space to capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface.
Known as Tyche, the satellite serves as the lead system within the broader £968 million ($1.2 billion) ISTARI program, which aims to establish a multi-satellite Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) constellation, along with future ground systems, by 2031.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Tyche will also play a role in natural disaster surveillance, environmental monitoring, and tracking the impacts of climate change.
Tyche was launched aboard a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of the company’s Transporter 11 mission.
On X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX announced that the Falcon 9 had launched a total of 116 “spacecraft to orbit” during “our 375th mission.”
The UK government reported that the “first signals” from Tyche were received “a few hours after lift-off, confirming the successful launch.”
Operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) until 2029, Tyche will be joined by three additional UK research and development satellites (Juno, Oberon, and Titania) which are part of the £127 million ($164 million) MINERVA technology and innovation program. Results from MINERVA will inform the long-term development of the ISTARI initiative.
London defined the design and build phase of Tyche, first announced in April 2022, as a “critical first step” in determining the processing power, radio frequencies, and imagery capabilities needed by UK Space Command for timely space-based intelligence.
The 150-kilogram Tyche satellite, roughly the size of a washing machine, was manufactured by Surrey Satellites Technology Limited under a £22 million ($28 million) contract awarded by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the UK’s military procurement organization.
In addition to the ISTARI program, the UK is also focused on upgrading its in-service Skynet 5 military satellite constellation to the more advanced Skynet 6 system. Airbus holds a contract worth over £500 million ($610 million) for SKYNET 6A, the next military communications satellite, scheduled for launch in 2025 and based on the Eurostar Neo telecommunications satellite platform.
