UK Ministry of Defence Awards £127 Million Contract to Airbus for Oberon Satellite System

Airbus has secured a £127 million ($158 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to develop the Oberon satellite system.

The program includes the construction of two advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, with a launch scheduled for 2027.

The Oberon satellites, equipped with ultra-high-resolution SAR sensors, will enhance the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities by enabling day-and-night Earth imaging.

Building on the success of the Tyche satellite, launched in August 2024, Oberon will support military operations and government tasks such as disaster management and climate monitoring.

As part of the ISTARI program, Oberon will offer superior Earth observation using SAR to capture high-quality images in any weather, strengthening global defense and environmental efforts.

According to Airbus, the 400kg Oberon satellites' antennas will be supplied by Oxford Space Systems, which has developed carbon-fiber structures that stow in compact volumes for launch but deploy once in orbit. The ‘wrapped rib’ design will transmit and receive radar pulses used to map the Earth's surface.