Pushing Boundaries in Space: Raytheon UK's Fifth Operational Frontier
When it comes to delivering the UK Space Agency’s vision of safety, security and sustainability in Space, Raytheon UK’s sovereign capabilities are at the cutting edge
Raytheon UK is spearheading advancements in the UK’s space sector, aligning with the UK Space Agency’s vision for a safe, secure and sustainable space environment. The nation’s space industry has witnessed rapid annual growth at 5.1%, outpacing the global space economy, thanks to recent strategic initiatives like the UK Ministry of Defence’s Space Industrial Plan and the upcoming SaxaVord vertical rocket launches.
The plan – a joint civil-defence initiative to ignite collaboration between the government and space industry players – prioritises five capability goals: Space Domain Awareness or SDA; in-orbit servicing; utilising space data for Earth applications; Position, Navigation and Timing; and satellite communications technology. Raytheon UK has the technology to support the initiative and already enjoys a close relationship with UK Space Agency through providing homegrown space capabilities.
“Since winning the orbital analysis contract in 2019, we’ve worked in close partnership with both the UK Space Agency and Ministry of Defence to provide mission-critical space domain awareness and sovereign capabilities that support accelerated expansion in the space sector,” said Sean Goldsbrough, head of Space & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance at Raytheon UK.
Sovereign SDA capabilities and solutions
Raytheon UK's homegrown Low-Earth Orbit Optical Camera Installation sensor network is expanding internationally, indicating a significant step towards global leadership in space surveillance and tracking.
LOCI detects, tracks, and characterises Resident Space Objects – in the form of defence assets, operational spacecraft and space debris – building an understanding of where they have been, where they will be and any activity they’re undertaking, to predict future events and mitigate risks to the space environment.
“It allows us to provide the customer with early-warning and monitoring of space events such as satellite re-entries and satellite conjunctions,” said Lee Jackson, senior programme manager, Space at Raytheon UK.
LOCI’s ability to provide critical observation data on objects in low-Earth orbit is a significant advancement.
“Our indigenous technology places the UK at the forefront of ground-based space sensor systems, providing our partners with a more comprehensive picture of what is taking place in low-Earth orbit,” said Goldsbrough. “Deploying LOCI internationally to five sites further increases the quantity and quality of data we’re collecting, giving our customers even deeper insights into what is happening with and around their assets of interest and the overall space environment.”
“Our indigenous technology places the UK at the forefront of ground-based space sensor systems.”
Sean Goldsbrough, head of Space & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Expertise in orbital analytics and operations
From raw astrometric data to industry standard space data products, the processing and analysing of satellite tracking information is down to Raytheon NORSS’ orbital analysts. These subject matter experts are located in both the Raytheon NORSS offices in Northumbria, and the National Space Operations Centre, or NSpOC, which is led by the UK Space Agency and UK Space Command in partnership with the Met Office.
Tracking threats, risks and hazards, they ensure that space remains safe, secure and sustainable, and ultimately protect those assets which support our day-to-day lives on Earth.
“Our UK orbital analysts collaborate alongside military analysts where they perform the vital task of monitoring traffic in space around-the-clock, as well as providing direct technical support, critical space warning data and advice to the customer,” said Goldsbrough.
“Raytheon’s SDA capability is fully embedded in UK Space Command,” he added, pointing to the Raytheon US business being the original equipment manufacturer for the RAF Fylingdales Radar in North Yorkshire. The ballistic missile early warning service falls under UK Space Command and provides the NSpOC with critical SDA data in low-earth orbit.
NORSSTrack as an operational asset
Today’s global space race has seen a dramatic increase in space congestion owing to the growing number of satellites orbiting Earth. Developed specifically for SDA and space mission operational support, the NORSSTrack SDA tool suite fuses sensor data with the satellite catalogue to monitor the operational environment. This offers users a comprehensive understanding of the space domain, enabling space flight safety and supporting future spacecraft operations.
Described as a sovereign SDA analytical capability, the software enables orbital analysts to produce advanced warning of events including re-entry, proximity operations, fragmentation, manoeuvre detection and conjunction analysis to predict possible collisions.
NORSSTrack also offers space domain visualisation, GEO neighbourhood watch, satellite compliance monitoring, sensor modelling, lifetime assessment, and data processing including orbit determination. The software system is essential to the data picture that Raytheon NORSS creates for UK Space Command, which is also shared with the Five Eyes global alliance. These outputs are providing customers with key decision-making information, such as space warning summaries for UK Space Command, to use in fast-paced operational environments.
“Our defence industry customers have assets positioned in space to perform protect-and-defend national security missions and who wish to guard against nefarious activity,” said Goldsbrough. “The impact of systems like LOCI and NORSSTrack within the Five Eyes global intelligence picture further supports the need for the UK to continue to prioritise investment in homegrown space technologies.”
“Our mission has always been to build sovereign capability through the provision of data to protect and defend national interests and those of our allies.”
- Dan Storr, head of Future Business & Strategy, Space and Airborne Systems
Social value and investing in innovation
Based in the North-East of England, Raytheon NORSS employs 25 space experts in the region, collaborating with and training graduates from all five North-East universities to develop advanced space capabilities and infrastructure.
Raytheon NORSS will continue to collaborate with national and global partners to deliver social and economic value by driving sustainability and accessibility in space.
“We’re committed to growing the UK space business by providing trusted support to governments in the space domain, supporting the commercial space industry, and developing and innovating alongside academia,” said Dan Storr, head of Future Business & Strategy, Space and Airborne Systems.
Buoyed by strategic UK investments such as the SaxaVord Spaceport – the first and only fully licenced vertical launch spaceport in Europe set to launch in August 2024 – Raytheon NORSS sees itself adopting a similar role in UK launches as Raytheon has in supporting US Department of Defense launches at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Vandenburg Space Force Base.
“NORSSTrack is strategically important to UK SDA, and SaxaVord is the most advanced spaceport Europe has seen. We have a proven capability in NORSSTrack and orbital analysis to safely plan and track the UK spaceports in-orbit as we go forward in this new era of launches from UK soil,” Storr said.
“Our mission has always been to build sovereign capability through the provision of data to protect and defend national interests and those of our allies,” he said. “Ultimately, we want to help the UK become a global leader in space innovation, space sustainability and securing the future use of space.”