I feel totally uninformed. Nowhere on the US news have I seen anything about this satellite system. Perhaps I should take what is presented in James Bond movies more seriously - there was talk about this in ‘Goldeneye’ - who knew it was real?

The launch of the third and final satellite in the UK’s next-generation military space communications network has been delayed by a few days. The Skynet 5C platform was due to fly from French Guiana on Friday but technicians called a halt to the countdown just hours before lift-off. Software on the launch vehicle did not behave normally during a test sequence.

Skynet 5 is intended to provide British forces with a secure, high-bandwidth capability through to 2020.

A successful launch will complete the in-orbit part of the £3.6bn project. Additional work has included upgrades to ground stations and the installation of new antennas and terminals on military ships, planes and land vehicles.

Taken together, the three Skynet spacecraft - known as 5A, 5B and 5C - will provide coverage from the Americas to Asia.

also from BBC

The Skynet satellites match the sophistication of the very latest civilian platforms used to pass TV, phone and internet traffic - but also are “hardened” for military use and will resist attempts to “jam” them, for example.

“These satellites have technology that allows them to pinpoint communications on to particular regions of the world with absolute precision, and without interference,” explained Malcolm Peto from Paradigm Secure Communications, the company set up to run Skynet.

“You know the areas where British forces operate, and you can imagine the type of interference attempted. We can avoid that very simply, very clinically,” he said.

The new Skynet constellation will allow the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to pass much more data, faster between command centres. The bandwidth capacity of Skynet 5 is two-and-a-half times that of the old satellite constellation, Skynet 4.

The new system will enable British forces to make use of next-generation weapons systems, such as the recently introduced Reaper drones.

These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are deployed over Afghanistan but are remotely piloted by RAF personnel in the US.

(it’s a good thing these guys are on our side!)

A trip to the BBC website yields lots of pictures, a couple of videos, and a more complete explanation.   Look here

Being allies with them affords more benefits than one would have thought, it seems. Although the sun may now set on a part of the world not part of the British Empire, it appears no part of the world is beyond their view.

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Technorati Tags: Skynet satellite network - British spy satellites - UAV - RAF. Goldeneye - James Bond films

[tags] Skynet satellite network, British spy satellites, UAV, RAF. Goldeneye, James Bond films [/tags]