Britain’s Titania military satellite reaches orbit to support Earth observation

Britain’s Titania military satellite has reached orbit and will support Earth observation under UK Space Command’s ISTARI program. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and BAE Systems developed the roughly 100-kilogram spacecraft under a £9.5 million contract, and it is the second satellite in the British military constellation after Tyche. The spacecraft orbits Earth approximately every 90 minutes, with Juno and Oberon expected to follow under ISTARI. Separately, the Ministry of Defence is trialing ground-based optical sensors in Britain, Australia and Cyprus to identify unusual activity near satellites.