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| The UK is concerned about the loss of the European navigation system |
Britain is preparing to invest 500 million pounds ($ 616 million) in the wrong kind of satellite for taxpayers. He is trying to solve the problem of not having access to the European satellite navigation system after leaving the European Union.
The move confirms the UK government's efforts to bring Britain to the forefront of space technology as the UK is expected to acquire a 20% stake in the London-based Internet Satellite Company (OneWeb) to create a satellite navigation network at this time. From moving.
With Britain increasingly withdrawing from the European Union without an agreement, the country will lose access to the Galileo defense system and European vital infrastructure, although users are still available.
British Financial Times reported that the UK government has signed an offer to buy OneWeb shares for millions of pounds. However, the space experts interviewed by the Guardian said: OneWeb satellites can no longer be used for navigation systems.
The company offers services similar to StarLink from SpaceLink, which has up to 74 satellites in orbit on OneWeb and plans to expand to 650 satellites.
"Yes, we bought the wrong satellite. If you want to replace the GPS system with a military system, you need codecs, security, and A. I am not an accurate signal," Bledin Bowen, a space policy expert at Leicester University, told the newspaper. Small as OneWeb. ""
The problem is that OneWeb satellites are so small that they cannot be redesigned to carry the equipment needed to convert them to navigation systems and that the satellites are in a very low position due to their location at an altitude of 1,200 km above the surface of the Earth.
Satellites for other major GPS systems include average orbits approximately 20,000 km from Earth, including the American GPS system, Russia (Glonass), China (Beidou), and Europe (Galileo).
"This investment appears to be on the national agenda. If the government wants a system of the British brand, it will highlight Britain's global strength and support the country," research analyst Giles Thorne told the Guardian. The foundation of the satellite industry, and investment (OneWeb) could make more sense than trying to build a new system from the start. "
A government spokesman said: "We have defined our space ambitions and are developing a new national space strategy to provide Britain with long-term strategic and commercial benefits. As part of this work, we work with the space industry. Chat regularly."