OneWeb

[rudebhoy]

Boris Johnson has been warned that a $500m rescue of a British space company could backfire because the technology is unsuited to building a sovereign satellite navigation system.

Officials at the UK Space Agency have told the Government that investing in OneWeb to build a rival to the EU’s Galileo system presents major difficulties because its low-earth-orbit satellites may be unable to provide accurate location signals, The Telegraph can reveal.

Number 10 has signed off on putting $500m (£405m) into a 20pc stake in London-based OneWeb, which collapsed in March. Bids to participate in a rescue auction are due to close later on Friday, with the auction due to begin next week.

This begs a few questions

1. The purpose of the project is to provide a backup to the GPS system, should the existing system fail - how likely is that, and don't GPS have contingency plans?
2. Why choose to invest in a firm which has already gone bankrupt?
3. Why have we chosen to invest in a solution which experts have said is not fit for purpose?

This has shambles written all over it, shades of awarding ferry contracts to companies who don't own any ships.

 

[Old Skier]

There needs to be clarity about whether people are taking about the military or civilian systems. There have been indications that providing you have the equipment people will access the Galileo civilian system as there is no way to block that signal to none EU countries inside Europe.

The main problem with GPS has always been that civilian access is via high altitude satellite service which affects the accuracy and strength of signal.