The U.K. Ministry of Defense has recently announced significant strides in its ISTARI project, a pioneering initiative aimed at bolstering the nation's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities through a constellation of advanced satellites. In a move underscoring its commitment to this endeavor, the Ministry awarded contracts worth approximately $2.5 million each to aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Rhea Group.
These contracts mark a pivotal step forward in the ISTARI project, which has been allocated a substantial investment of about $1 billion over a decade by the U.K. government since its inception in 2022. Scheduled for deployment between 2026 and 2031, the ISR satellites promise to revolutionize the nation's strategic capabilities in low Earth orbit.
Under the terms of the contracts, Lockheed Martin UK, the British subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., and Rhea Group, a leading technology services firm headquartered in Belgium, will spearhead the development of competing mission systems tailored to control and manage the ISTARI satellites, as well as process the invaluable data they gather.
Eric Brown, Vice President for Mission Strategy and Advanced Capabilities at Lockheed Martin, expressed the company's enthusiasm for expanding its footprint in the U.K.'s burgeoning military space sector. He highlighted the pivotal role of the United Kingdom in nurturing a robust space ecosystem, emphasizing the potential for growth and collaboration in projects like ISTARI and the forthcoming Skynet 6 strategic communications satellite program, where Lockheed Martin aims to rival industry stalwart Airbus.
“The United Kingdom right now is building out their overall space ecosystem to a level that they haven't in the past,” remarked Brown, reflecting the transformative impact of these initiatives on the nation's space capabilities.
With Lockheed Martin and Rhea Group at the helm of satellite control system development, the U.K. is poised to solidify its position as a key player in the global space arena, leveraging cutting-edge technology and strategic partnerships to safeguard its national security interests.