Space

Space offers solutions to many of the world’s most interesting and pressing problems:

• monitoring the planet’s health: global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation, ice cap shrinkage, El Niño as well as routine weather forecasting
• communications in remote areas and on the move: to ships and planes, from war zones and disaster areas, in  deserts and on mountain tops, or even in rural areas of the UK that lack cable or ADSL
• delivering television to homes throughout the UK and across the globe
• positioning ourselves, our family and friends, our vehicles and our assets precisely anywhere in the world
• searching for life beyond the earth, for new earths, for the very origins of the universe
• supporting our armed forces in remote and dangerous locations world-wide, monitoring nuclear missile  deployments, delivering munitions with pin-point precision, locating our enemies.

Space systems are increasingly complex, relying more and more on software-based intelligence to ensure success. These software solutions have to:

• be secure despite the broadcast nature of satellite communications
• cope with complex technical environments such as earth imaging, radio propagation and orbital mechanics
• work first time, since space conditions (e.g. zero gravity) cannot be simulated on ground
• be ultra-reliable since once launched satellites have to work without maintenance for ten years or more
• be delivered on time or risk causing very expensive satellite launch delays.