MoD sends Skynet satellite into orbit

The UK's second military communications satellite has gone into orbit.

The latest hi-tech military communications satellite blasted off on an Ariane space rocket from Kourou in French Guiana on Wednesday.

Skynet 5B will beam signals between the UK and British forces deployed around the world. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said its antennae technology and powerful transmission capabilities will provide a significant boost to the operational capability of the army, Royal Navy and RAF. In-orbit testing of the satellite will take place over the next few weeks.

The first Skynet 5 satellite of the £3bn-plus programme was launched in March after a delay of 24 hours caused by a technical glitch, but, according to the MoD, it is now operating as expected.

Skynet 5C, the third and final satellite, is due to be launched in 2008.

Baroness Taylor, minister for defence equipment and support, said: "Once complete, the Skynet programme will bring significant improvement in our global communications systems, especially for deployed operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and at sea."

Paradigm Secure Communications, a consortium of BAE Systems and EADS, won the private finance initiative (PFI) contract to develop Skynet 5 in 2003.

The minister said the PFI deal was an "excellent example" of how partnerships between the defence ministry and industry should work.

Chris Pennell, Kable's senior defence analyst, said: "This is one more piece in the MoD's network-enabled capability, but there is still a long way to go in providing interoperability between disparate information sources."

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