Open Cosmos and Astroscale partner on £5.15M UK Defence contract for Orpheus mission to enhance Space Situational Awareness

As global reliance on space infrastructure grows, so do the threats posed by space weather, adversarial actions, and orbital congestion. As a critical step in strengthening the UK's capabilities in space, the Orpheus mission objectives are to enhance our understanding of space weather and improve space situational awareness, advancing global initiatives toward a joint space architecture.

A recent Lloyd’s of London report highlights that an extreme space weather event, such as a severe solar storm, could result in global economic losses of up to $2.4 trillion, with disruptions to the ionosphere posing a significant threat to satellite communications, navigation systems, and critical defence infrastructure.

Open Cosmos is partnering with Astroscale UK to design and build two near-identical satellites that the company will operate for the mission. The satellites will fly in formation to observe and collect critical data using in-situ and remote sensing techniques, to enable faster space-based data acquisition. The payloads designed to characterise the ionosphere are being developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory, the University of Bath, and Surrey Satellite Technology.