The UK Government has announced it will begin work on its own satellite network if the country is denied access to the European Union’s Galileo project.

Despite confirming that the UK wishes to remain involved in the programme, the government said in a statement that without assurances from the EU it will be forced to end its participation in the project.

Issues have been raised on how British industry can collaborate on an equal basis now and in the future, as well as concerns over access to crucial security-related information. The British Military would use Galileo for several military functions, such as missile guidance.

Brexit Space Race?

The government said it plans to spend more than £90 million in ‘Brexit readiness’ money on plans for the proposed satellite system, which will be developed by the UK Space Agency in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence.

This is a significant sum that forms part of the government’s £3 billion Brexit Readiness Fund that was announced during last year’s Budget.

The 18-month engineering, design and development project will deliver “detailed technical assessment and schedule of a UK global positioning system.”

In a statement, the government said the proposed global positioning system will provide civilian and encrypted signals and will be fully compatible with the United States’ own satellite system.

“The UK Space Agency is leading this phase of the work to look at options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System, which would fully meet UK security requirements and support the UK’s sovereign space and cryptography sectors,” the statement read.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said that the UK’s investment in the Galileo programme is essential to future security needs and, as such, alternative options must be considered.

He said: “Britain is a world leader in the space industry and satellites. We are investing in an alternative option to Galileo to ensure our future security needs are met using the UK’s world-leading space sector.

“Our position on Galileo has been consistent and clear. We have repeatedly highlighted the specialist expertise we bring to the project and the risks in time delays and cost increases that the European Commission is taking by excluding UK industry.

“Britain has the skills, expertise and commitment to create our own sovereign satellite system and I am determined that we take full advantage of the opportunities this brings, backed by our modern Industrial Strategy.”

Galileo

Long-term, the Galileo project aims to launch 30 satellites and is designed to compete with the United States Global Positioning System (GPS), which is used in a number of commercial and military capacities.

UK industry has been instrumental in developing Galileo technology and encryption. In the event of Britain exiting the project, this expertise will be used to develop the alternative system. The government also suggested that a number of lucrative multi-million-pound contracts could become available for British space companies.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the UK is “absolutely right” to pursue alternatives, noting that space is an emerging threat area that must be addressed.

“The danger space poses as a new front for warfare is one of my personal priorities, and it is absolutely right that we waste no time in going it alone if we need an independent satellite system to combat these emerging threats,” he said.

Williamson added: “This alternative system and the UK’s very first Defence Space Strategy which I will launch later this year will be a further boost to military skills, our innovative businesses and our genuinely world-leading role which has seen us make such a key contribution to Galileo.”