SSTL’s owner Astrium and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) have announced a contract which will see an Earth observation satellite designed by Astrium or SSTL launched by Falcon 1e, a SpaceX launch vehicle.

The Falcon 1e is an ‘enhanced’ version of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle. Falcon 1e has been designed completely by SpaceX and benefits from upgraded propulsion, structures and avionics systems, allowing for more reliability. The original Falcon 1 was launched almost a year ago on September 28th 2008.

SSTL and Astrium provide a range of innovative, cutting edge Earth Observation satellite products. Through this partnership, they can offer customers a turnkey solution, with in-orbit delivery of a low Earth orbit satellite system.

Both parties have told of their joy at the partnership:

SpaceX's Falcon 1e launch vehicle was designed to provide the highest level of reliability as well as the lowest dedicated mission price of any orbital launch system

said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX.

SpaceX is pleased to be the launch services provider for this mission.

Evert Dudok, the CEO of Astrium Satellites stated

This Falcon 1e contract allows Astrium to provide a competitive solution for in-orbit delivery of an Earth observation satellite in low Earth orbit. This deal will ultimately benefit customers seeking innovative and low-cost solutions for valuable Earth observation programs.

You can watch the first successful Falcon-1 launch in October on Space Blog.

SSTL and ISC Kosmotras are celebrating 10 years of successful cooperation, since the SSTL minisatellite UoSAT-12 made history as the first successful orbital injection by the Dnepr launch vehicle in April 1999.

Vladamir Andreev, the Director General of ISC Kosmotras explained the importance of the launch to Kosmotras and SSTL

This occasion is a remarkable event in the activity of our two companies. For SSTL, this was an important step in the progress of space technologies, and for ISC Kosmotras the first orbital launch of the Dnepr launch vehicle.

Dnepr is based upon the SS-18 strategic missile, one of the world’s most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles. Only minor modifications were required to adapt the rocket that was originally built to fire carry nuclear payloads into the highly reliable satellite launch vehicle that it is today.

Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman of SSTL, added

The introduction of Dnepr as a cost-effective launch solution suited to small satellites was clearly a new and important development and one which has since been proved through a series of successful small satellite launches. As SSTL’s first minisatellite, UoSAT-12 represented a correspondingly important technological development for the Company, paving the way for the GIOVE-A mission seven years later.

UoSAT-12 was a demonstration mission, designed and built in Guildford, UK by SSTL as a £5.5 million research and development project. The 350kg satellite demonstrated advanced high resolution multispectral and panchromatic Earth observation payloads, low Earth orbit microwave digital communications and a number of novel propulsion and attitude control technologies.

For SSTL, UoSAT-12 was the first in a series of successful Dnepr launches, including Malaysia’s first microsatellite, TiungSat, in September 2000. ISC Kosmotras was also selected for the complex launch of the 5-satellite RapidEye constellation in August 2008. During the summer of 2009, Dnepr will also launch two new DMC satellites built by SSTL: UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1.

You can see the Dnepr in action launching the RapidEye constellation that SSTL built for MDA below.



Cooperation with the Russian launch providers is seen by SSTL as a key ingredient in its small satellite programme, which has never failed to satisfy a customer’s launch requirements. By working closely with partners such as Commercial Space Technologies (CST), SSTL’s experienced team has become adept at filtering through the launch markets to find suitable, and sometimes innovative, solutions for the launch of customer satellites.

Through its newly formed subsidiary, Surrey Satellite Services Limited, SSTL has the long term vision of creating a northern latitude launch capability to satisfy the growing demand for the efficient delivery of sun synchronous, polar low Earth orbit and highly inclined satellite systems, as well as responding to the needs of operational responsive space.

It is 38 years since the UK government abandoned its successful satellite launcher programme, Black Arrow. It could be argued that the cancellation of Black Arrow marked the end of the UK's chances of becoming a major space power. The UK had been at the forefront of rocketry since World War II but swiftly fell behind during the 60s and 70s (watch a video below).



All future British satellite launches had to rely on foreign rockets. Had the Black Arrow not been abandoned, British (and European) spacecraft manufacturers may now be launching their spacecraft with an evolution of this rocket.

The cost of launches is one of the remaining constraints on lowering the cost of space missions. Small satellite pioneer SSTL has made good use of the highly reliable Soyuz launch vehicles, or Dnepr rockets launched from Kazakstan or Russia for its missions. However, there is a reason why there launch vehicles are tried and tested - the Soyuz has been in use for over 40 years! Whilst the Soyuz offers a highly competitive launch compared to its larger European couterpart, SSTL has always belived that there is space in the industry for a more modern and cost effective technology more in keeping with its spacecraft and completing and offering that can change the economics of space.

The activities of its former shareholder US-based SpaceX in developing low cost launch vehicles have always been of great interest, for example the succesful launch of the Falcon 1. SSTL is now talking to compatriot Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic about developing a British space rocket to rekindle native space capability in the UK and lower the cost of future small satellite missions by at least $5m.

SSTL's Dr Adam Baker is convinced all the expertise in composite structures, guidance and avionics, propulsion and engineering exists in the UK to make it happen. The benefits to the UK's engineering and technology sector in developing and manufacturing these technologies are clear and SSTL are hoping to get the backing of Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson for a government-backed study that would consider the feasibility and business case of a low cost commercial British launch vehicle.

Virgin Galactic wants to pursue other uses for the White Knight (see White Knight two video below) craft beyond space tourism, and it says the idea of using it as a platform to release a British satellite launcher is an appealing one.