Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide

Space

GX5 now guided by SCC

Inmarsat’s newest satellite, GX5, has passed another milestone with 24/7 control of the spacecraft now taken over by the company’s Satellite Control Centre (SCC) in London.

Launch teams from Inmarsat and the satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space have been carrying out rigorous testing and calibration since GX5, the fifth satellite in the Global Xpress fleet, was launched from Kourou, French Guiana on 26th November 2019.

Since then, more than 700 tests have been performed across the payload’s multi-beam antennas and the four steerable antennas, which will deliver more capacity than the entire GX1-GX4 fleet combined.

Advertisement
ODU RT


Courtesy Inmarsat

The SCC will now guide GX5 on the journey towards its final on-station location. When the satellite enters commercial service later this year, it will meet growing demand across Europe and the Middle East, in particular for aviation Wi-Fi and commercial maritime services.

Over the next four years, the GX fleet will be joined by a further seven advanced payloads, which represent enhancement in overall capacity and capabilities of the GX network; the world’s first and only, globally available, seamless mobile broadband network.

Advertisement
ODU RT


 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
Tim Peake returns to National Space Centre

Space Events

Tim Peake returns to National Space Centre

13 May 2026

Ten years to the day since Tim Peake’s dramatic return to Earth, Britain’s most renowned astronaut will be returning to the National Space Centre to celebrate not only the milestone but also the continuation of his inspirational legacy.

Space mission to study alien worlds clears test milestone

Space

Space mission to study alien worlds clears test milestone

12 May 2026

The Ariel payload has cleared a major test milestone, paving the way for the mission that will uncover the secrets of over 1,000 alien worlds.

CSpO meets to advance operational efforts

Defence Space

CSpO meets to advance operational efforts

12 May 2026

The Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative Principals’ Board convened in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where senior representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the UK and USA, addressed the rapidly evolving security dynamics of the space domain.

Surrey Space Centre delivers analysis of space weather radiation storm

Space

Surrey Space Centre delivers analysis of space weather radiation storm

11 May 2026

A spike in atmospheric radiation from a major solar flare in November 2025 was picked up by a global network of soil moisture sensors and a new rapid-response research project led by the University of Surrey will now analyse the data, offering fresh insight into how the impact of solar radiation storms varies across the Earth’s surface.

Advertisement
ODU RT
SatVu releases first light imagery from HotSat-2

Space

SatVu releases first light imagery from HotSat-2

7 May 2026

Today SatVu, the British thermal intelligence company, releases first light imagery from HotSat-2, the second satellite in its commercial high resolution thermal imaging constellation.

HM King Charles III visits new UK Space Agency site in Bermuda

Space Events

HM King Charles III visits new UK Space Agency site in Bermuda

7 May 2026

During his visit to Bermuda, His Majesty King Charles III toured the site which will be the first of the UK’s new global network of optical telescopes designed to protect the satellites that millions of people depend on every day.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Advertisement
FIA2026 animated banner