UK Space Command's first satellite Tyche is set to launch on 16 August onboard the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission. Pictured are the various satellites launching on the mission, including the box-shaped Tyche seen on the far left near the bottom. (SpaceX)
UK Space Command's first satellite – Tyche – is set to launch on the evening of 16 August, manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) announced on the same day.
The spacecraft will launch onboard the SpaceX Transporter-11 Rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US.
Tyche is a 150 kg research and development (R&D) concept demonstrator spacecraft, based on the company's Carbonite family of electro-optical (EO) satellites, which was initially scheduled to launch in 2023.
Commodore Dave Moody, head of Space Capability at UK Space Command, told Janes in 2023 that Tyche's primary purpose was delivering representative data to UK Space Command so that it can learn how best to use the information for defence and security, dual-use, or other purposes that may evolve. The satellite will also have an in-orbit processing capability, he added.
The satellite will maintain a 500 km low Earth orbit (LEO) using water to manoeuvre in space.
Tyche is the first of the concept demonstrators being built under project Minerva, which aims to test and demonstrate the various technologies that will underpin the future GBP970 million (USD1.24 billion) ISTARI multisatellite intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) constellation.
Titania, Juno, and Oberon will complement Tyche as concept demonstrators. Titania will focus on direct-to-Earth optical communications with a 2025 launch, while Juno and Oberon will serve as Earth observation systems, using EO and synthetic aperture radar technology, respectively, with planned launches in 2025 and 2026.
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