Galileo: David Morris outlines UK’s role in project
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Speaking before the Science and Technology Committee this week, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the UK can go it alone by developing its own system to rival the EU’s network. Mr Kwarteng told the committee: “In terms of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), which Galileo is all about, that is something that we could do ourselves. “Some people say ‘we can’t do this, there is no way there we could do PNT outside Galileo’. I don’t happen to agree with this.
“I think through our strategic acquisition of our stake in OneWeb, that does give us a possibility for future capability in PNT.”
The Government bought a share in OneWeb in July 2020.
It is a global satellite communications company that has a network of satellites and may one day rival Galileo.
It is a constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that beam signals in 3G, 5G, LTE and Wi-Fi for high-speed internet access to all corners of the globe.
While not currently carrying out PNT services like Galileo, Mr Kwarteng appear to think that this could change.
He even suggested that the UK is better off using OneWeb as an alternative to Galileo.
Mr Kwarteng said: “I don’t think participation in Galileo was really the be-all and end-all.
“In fact, looking at it, we felt that we weren’t getting our bang for our buck in terms of what our companies and supply chain were getting from it.”
This comes as OneWeb is scheduled to launch more satellites into orbit today as it continues to boost its network.
The company will one day have 650 LEO satellites making up the network that could one day rival Galileo.
In today’s launch, 34 satellites will get blasted into orbit by Russia’s Soyuz Flight VS27 from French Guiana.
It is French company Arianespace’s first mission of the year.
While UK satellites currently get launched from spaceports abroad by foreign rockets, this looks set to change soon.
Spaceport Cornwall looks poised to launch small satellites from Virgin Orbit rockets in horizontal launches as early as this summer.
The company is hoping to complete the first-ever rocket launch from British soil to honour the Queen’s jubilee.
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And the company also hopes to launch OneWeb satellites too.
Spaceport Cornwall CEO told Express.co.uk: “They (OneWeb) are a UK company, and our ambitions would be to work with any UK-based satellite manufacturing company.
“That is the whole point of creating a spaceport in the UK, to service our existing satellite base here.
“At the minute they (satellites) are all being shipped overseas to launch and we want to capture that marketplace here in the UK – we are open to working with any of the UK manufacturers, including OneWeb.”
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