UK government invests £92m into independent satellite study

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The government is investing £92m into an 18-month study that will inform the creation of an independent satellite system if the UK leaves the Galileo programme following Brexit.

The Galileo programme is the EU’s Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS), which provides positioning and timing information from a current constellation of 18 satellites.

The government is negotiating with the European Commission to remain in Galileo but is making contingency plans in case the UK is no longer able to participate in the programme on an equal basis, or loses access to security-related information provided by Galileo for military functions such as missile guidance. Government also wants to avoid the estimated £1bn per day cost to the UK economy that would occur with sustained disruption to satellite navigation.

An 18-month engineering, design and development project is being led by the UK Space Agency to deliver a technical assessment and schedule for a UK global positioning system that would provide civilian and encrypted signals and be compatible with the US GPS system.

Business secretary Greg Clark said: “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.

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