UK Space Agency Awards £1.2 Million Grant to Horizon Technologies for Amber Phoenix Mission

UK Space Agency Awards £1.2 Million Grant to Horizon Technologies for Amber Phoenix Mission

At an event at the Army-Navy Club in London on 11 October, Horizon Technologies announced a £1.2 Million grant awarded by the UK Space Agency. This grant is part of a £2.8 Million total program called the Amber Phoenix Mission. The Phoenix Mission will see another Amber RF (Radio Frequency) Earth Observation payload launched into orbit in mid-2024.

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “Tracking vessels attempting to avoid detection is a complex challenge, but one that Horizon Technologies can help solve with their ground-breaking technology. Our support for the new Amber Phoenix Mission will develop a new capability to improve space-based maritime intelligence data services and catalyst further investment into the growing UK space sector. “I’m looking forward to seeing Horizon Technologies launch many more satellites in the future.”

The UK government sponsor and initiator of the Amber program is the Royal Navy via the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) in Portsmouth. Amber is a space-based data service and will play a key role in detecting “dark vessels” such as those evading sanctions against Russia, Iran, etc., illegal fishing, smuggling (people and goods), transshipments, and refugees.

Unlike other Earth Observations constellations, Amber is very unique. Horizon’s Amber payload detects, geolocates, and demodulates maritime RF (Radars and SatPhones) signals from “dark vessels.” Amber is a maritime intelligence data service and is unique in the marketplace. Amber is “always on,” and every Amber satellite/payload continuously covers about 3% of the world’s surface at all times. Amber satellites/payloads are not “tasked,” and act essentially as “space-based RF signal vacuum cleaners,” constantly picking up emitters over about 3% of the earth’s surface at all times. In addition, because Amberdemodulates the RF data, the data is not merely “radio frequency mapping” as offered by others.

The Amber Phoenix Mission satellite is to be the first of a proposed constellation of over twenty (20) Amber payloads in orbit to provide worldwide RF data to the JMSC and other customers with 30-minute latency. Some Amber payloads will also be integrated and deployed on EO and SAR satellite constellations to provide tip and cue capabilities to end users. According to Horizon Technologies CEO John Beckner, “the ability to proliferate Amber payloads into other constellations will (1) give us lots of extra “Looks Per Day” (LPD) around the planet resulting in more revenue for Horizon and our partners, and even better, (2) will make tipping and cueing (whereby one satellite geolocates a target of interest, and a follow-on satellite images that target [EO or SAR]) a reality, and is sure to be market disruptive.”

Previously, Horizon Technologies’ original Amber payload was on one of eight (8) small satellites lost on the Virgin Orbit failed launch of 9 January 2023 where Virgin Orbit’s Launcher One failed to reach the proper orbit. This was part of the Satellite Applications Catapult IOD-3 Programme for which Horizon Technologies was competitively selected in 2019. Ms. Lucy Edge, COO of the Satellite Applications Catapult stated, “It’s been a pleasure for the Catapult to support Horizon Technologies’ transition into the space sector. After the January launch setback, the Horizon team has worked tirelessly for its follow-on mission - we wish them and Phoenix a successful venture.”

Horizon Technologies’ CEO John Beckner stated, “Certainly, the bleak events of the evening of 9 January will not be forgotten anytime soon, but as soon as the mission failed, the whole Horizon team immediately came together to develop a plan to save Amber since it is a key sovereign UK technology. As one of the few UK SMEs on the Virgin Orbit launch, we received immediate guidance from the UK Space Agency team for which we are extremely grateful. Without the generous support of the UK Space Agency, we would have had to shut down this business segment.” The Amber Programme is a leading example of why UK investment, and public/private partnerships like this, make the UK a world leader in Space.

Click here to learn more about Horizon Technologies' Space-based Maritime SIGINT Solutions.


Publisher: SatNow
Tags:-  SatelliteLaunch

GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013