Oxford Space Systems (OSS) and Surrey Satellite Systems Limited (SSTL) announce the successful completion of the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for SSTL’s CarbSAR in-Orbit Demonstration mission. The mission combines SSTL’s Carbonite platform with OSS’s innovative Wrapped Rib Antenna (WRA) to provide synthetic aperture radar Earth observation capability from a compact low Earth Orbit satellite platform. Achieving this critical milestone confirms the satellite and antenna have passed all qualification tests and the mission is ready for launch, which is scheduled for early 2026.
The design, manufacturing, and rigorous testing of the CarbSAR satellite and Wrapped Rib Antenna have been conducted in a collaboration between OSS and SSTL, with additional funding provided by the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), and by Airbus Defence and Space.
For Oxford Space Systems, in addition to providing flight heritage and demonstration of the Wrapped Rib Antenna technology to potential customers, this project has also enabled OSS to build its industrial capability, leveraging its existing carbon composite manufacturing and metal mesh facilities, and has provided valuable test data that OSS can use on other key projects. These include the UK Government’s Earth Observation Oberon programme, for which OSS is providing Wrapped Rib Antennas to Airbus Defence and Space.
“Passing the Flight Readiness Review is an important milestone for Oxford Space Systems,” commented Sean Sutcliffe, Chief Executive at Oxford Space Systems. “It demonstrates the maturity of our wrapped rib technology, and also the strength of our UK supply chain and manufacturing capabilities. We are grateful for customer and government-backed innovation programmes that are helping us industrialise deployable antenna manufacturing for the global market as we continue our strong, export-driven growth trajectory.”
Andrew Cawthorne, Managing Director at SSTL, commented, “We are delighted to collaborate with Oxford Space Systems on this groundbreaking mission. The successful completion of the Flight Readiness Review highlights the synergy between SSTL’s CarbSAR Satellite and OSS’s innovative Wrapped Rib Antenna, paving the way for a transformative capability in compact SAR Earth observation.”
