Britain Places New Military Satellite Titania in Orbit

In brief

• Britain has put a new military satellite, Titania, into orbit, the second in its new system after Tyche in 2024.
• Titania weighs about 100 kg, orbits Earth every 90 minutes and was launched from California on a SpaceX rocket.
• The satellites will be run by UK Space Command and are meant to help the armed forces detect threats earlier.

Titania joins British military constellation

The British Ministry of Defence has announced that the military satellite Titania has been placed in orbit and is now in service (Британія вивела на орбіту новий військовий супутник – Європейська правда) (Велика Британія вивела на орбіту новий військовий супутник: що це означає для армії – internetua.com). It follows Tyche, launched in 2024, and two more satellites are scheduled for launch.

Titania is about the size of a washing machine and weighs roughly 100 kilograms. It travels at about 27,000 km/h and completes one orbit of Earth every 90 minutes. It was launched last month on a SpaceX rocket from California.

Role and control

Defence Secretary Ves Streeting said the satellites will allow British forces to detect threats earlier, making the country safer. Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smith, chief of the Royal Air Force staff, described Earth observation from space as essential for both national resilience and military advantage.

The satellites will be controlled by the UK Space Command, headquartered at RAF High Wycombe. Alongside Earth observation, the ministry is testing a network of space-monitoring sensors at three sites worldwide, a project named Inaros.

Development

Titania was designed and built in Hampshire as part of a partnership between the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and BAE Systems (Британія вивела на орбіту військовий супутник – korrespondent.net).