SSTL's Lunar Pathfinder and 3.5m Telescope Mark 40-Year

SSTL's first lunar satellite, the Lunar Pathfinder, is set to launch early next year with ESA and NASA as anchor customers. The UK satellite manufacturer is also building a 3.5-metre diameter space telescope for the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Foundation, applying its small-satellite philosophy to a much larger project.

Andrew Cawthorne, the company's Managing Director, discussed these projects and the firm's outlook in an interview at World Space Business Week in Paris. The conversation covered SSTL's four decades of operation and its current portfolio spanning commercial, defence, and export sectors.

Upcoming Missions and Key Projects

The Lunar Pathfinder mission will provide communications relay for a NASA mission to the lunar far side. Cawthorne sees a bright commercial future for such lunar communications, citing planned activity on both sides of the Atlantic.

On the commercial Earth observation front, SSTL is building the HotSat series for mid-wave infrared imaging. Defence work includes a maritime domain awareness SAR satellite for the Norwegian government and a second ISR satellite for UK Space Command.

The company's export business remains active, with a satellite for the Philippines about to launch. That project included a training programme for Philippine Space Agency engineers on how to build spacecraft.

A Small-Satellite Approach to a Large Telescope

The most scale-defying project is the space telescope for the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Foundation. Designed to study exoplanets and supernova remnants, its 3.5-metre mirror is a major departure in size for SSTL.

However, Cawthorne states the company is applying its heritage small-satellite methodology. This approach relies on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, vertical integration, and a distinctive product assurance philosophy.

Market Position and Strategy Outlook

Cawthorne views the current market dynamics with significant defence spending across Europe as an expanding opportunity for all players, including new entrants. He expects more competition and more organisations with real satellite-building experience in the coming years.

He positions SSTL between new space and traditional space, claiming it retains the agility of newer players while offering the track record of an established one. SSTL’s position, as he describes it, sits between new space and traditional space, retaining the agility of newer players while offering the track record and reputation associated with established ones, though he anticipates more challenge from below.

On the newly published UK space strategy, Cawthorne is positive but measured. He says its focus on national security, defence, and export-led growth sends the right signals, as does backing specific companies over spreading support thinly. The intent is clear, he notes, and the challenge now lies in execution.