The United Kingdom (UK) has successfully launched into space its first military spy satellite that has the capability to capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface.
The satellite named Tyche is part of a programme by the Ministry of Defence that aims to support military operations and natural disaster as well as environmental monitoring, mapping information development and tracking the impact of climate change.
Tyche was launched from a Falcon 9 rocket owned by SpaceX on Friday; SpaceX is a company co-founded by American billionaire and X CEO, Elon Musk.
The satellite which is about the size of a washing machine is the first to be owned fully by the UK MoD. It was designed and built in the UK through a £22m contract awarded to Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL).
