European Space Agency (THIS) висловило зацікавленість у залученні Великої Британії до участі в реалізації програми IRIS² — європейського мегасузір’я супутників безпечного зв’язку, що створюється консорціумом SpaceRISE.
ESA Director of Satellite Communications and Secure Communications Laurent Jaffar noted, that the participation of Great Britain in this project is possible, however, for its implementation, the UK government must initiate formal negotiations with the European Commission (EC), which is responsible for the overall management and implementation of the program.
It is assumed, що потенційна співпраця може мати технологічний характер. Велика Британія володіє низкою ключових технологій, які можуть бути інтегровані в конструкцію супутників IRIS². Such participation would ensure the compatibility of the EU and UK systems, which is important for their joint functioning, in particular within NATO.
At the same time, the implementation of British technological solutions within the project, probably, will take place in the later stages of the development of IRIS² due to the long procedural processes of the European Union.
Jaffar also gave examples of current and previous cooperation between the UK and the EU. In particular, ESA conducted tests of modified ones ("militarized") versions of British satellite components — antennas and telemetry systems, tracking and command. These technologies have been successfully tested within the Skynet program of the British Ministry of Defense 5 and Skynet 6, which confirmed the effectiveness of joint European developments in the field of defense satellite communication.
Source: https://news.satnews.com