The UK has triggered its £65million Borealis space shield six months early to protect vital satellites from enemy threats on the ‘invisible front line’
Britain has activated a high-tech space defence system six months ahead of schedule as the race to protect Earth from cosmic conflict heats up. Military bigwigs confirmed the system is now live, shielding UK satellites from mysterious orbital threats.
The Ministry of Defence has also dropped the very first snaps taken by its Noctis-1 military spy telescope. Major General Paul Tedman, commander of UK Space Command, warned that the cosmos has become an “invisible front line” and says the new tech is a massive game-changer.
He said: “Protecting and defending the invisible front line in space requires us to see and understand what is happening in orbit and then make decisions at machine speed.”
The commander added that the new setup gives Britain “sovereign eyes” in the sky, using “edge software” to crunch data at lightning speeds so operators can react to threats instantly.
The software, named Borealis, blends data from several different sources to give the National Space Operations Centre a clear picture of what’s lurking in the dark.
It tracks dangerous floating space junk and satellites belonging to foreign adversaries that might try to sabotage British tech.
The Noctis-1 telescope has already beamed back images of the International Space Station and Britain’s Skynet military communications satellites.
The £65million project was built by tech experts at CGI UK, supporting 100 skilled jobs across Leatherhead, Reading, and Bristol.
Company boss Neil Timms said that delivering the system half a year early proves they know exactly how to handle complex space systems.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard warned that space has officially become a battleground.
He said: “Protecting our satellites from adversaries keeps our economy moving and keeps us all safe.”
A total of 20 per cent of the UK’s economy relies entirely on satellites, meaning everything from GPS navigation and bank transfers to weather forecasts and TV signals could be wiped out if an enemy decided to strike.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.