[jolj]

It sounds like extremely late to the game, we are talking about 1960s tech.

Very surprising for a country as large as the UK, I can only assume they used US satellites up until now, and started designing their own due to Trump

[317070]

As a Brit, I reckon Brexit, and the restricted access to ESA [0], are the far more reasonable explanations here...

[0] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-involvement-in-the-eu-space-p...

[graemep]

Your link says:

"The UK’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) is not affected by leaving the EU as ESA is not an EU organisation."

I think you meant the EU Space programme, but that does not seem related to military imaging satellites.

[jolj]

which one of these programs constitute of a military reconnaissance satellite?

[dwayne_dibley]

Ah, another excellent benefit.

[KineticLensman]

The British have had military satellites since Skynet 1A in 1969 [0], although these historically supported comms rather than ISR.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite)

[jolj]

yes which only makes sense they were used to support five eyes sigint and used US satellites for visint

[detritus]

Didn't 1960s-era spy satellites use physical rolls of film that were dropped back to Earth and caught by planes or helicopters?

[acheron]

Yep! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORONA_(satellite)

[toyg]

Probably a combination of Trump and Brexit. The Tory governments made a big song and dance of investing to replace the access to European space programs that they lost, I wouldn't be surprised if this project sat in the folds of one of those efforts - even just financially.

On the other hand - this was actually delivered, so maybe not a Tory thing at all... /S