UK places Titania military satellite in orbit

The UK has placed Titania, its second military satellite, in orbit and is trialling a network of ground sensors to monitor activity in space. The Ministry of Defence announced the satellite’s launch and the Project Inaros trial on November 7, saying Titania launched in October and is operated by UK Space Command.

Titania follows Tyche, launched in 2024, and is part of the Ministry of Defence’s ISTARI programme to develop intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites and supporting ground systems. The roughly 100-kilogram spacecraft, built in Hampshire by BAE Systems and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, circles Earth every 90 minutes at about 27,000 kilometres per hour.

The Ministry of Defence says Titania will help British forces observe military activity on the ground from space. The satellite was developed under a £9.5 million contract. Its original contract, awarded in 2021, described testing laser communications between a satellite and the ground to transfer intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data at high speeds.

Project Inaros is testing three sensors at sites in the UK, Australia and British facilities in Cyprus. The Ministry of Defence...