News
In-Space missions snapped up by BAE Systems
Wednesday September 15th, 2021
A Hampshire business which develops new space missions and provides consultancy and procurement support to the space industry has been acquired by BAE Systems.
In-Space Missions was founded in 2015 and employs more than 30 staff. It designs, builds and operates bespoke physical and digital customer space missions, providing a service to those keen to get technology in orbit quickly.
BAE Systems already has specialist space technologies in waveforms, electronics, antennas and digital signal processing and analytics. The acquisition of In-Space Missions allows BAE Systems to integrate this technology into complete satellites and operate them in orbit allowing it to combine a range of space capabilities that help deliver information advantage, multi-domain operations and networking for customers. BAE Systems’ experience in highly secure satellite communications will complement In-Space Missions’ full lifecycle satellite capability to make a unique sovereign UK space offer.
Doug Liddle, chief executive of In-Space Missions, said: “This agreement means In-Space Missions will maintain its small company culture while leveraging the tremendous scale and new opportunities offered by BAE Systems.
“We’re already collaborating on new highly secure satellite applications and beyond that, we’re really excited about how this agreement will underpin our growth as an ambitious, UK-owned, prime and service provider.”
Chief technology officer Tony Holt hailed the move as “an exciting and transformational moment” which brings together “like-minded talents of the two organisations to create something very special”.
“Over the next few years we will realise our commercial ambitions in new digital services, enabled by software defined ultra-wide band technologies and distributed apertures,” he added.
BAE chief technology officer Ben Hudson said: “The UK has an opportunity to be a global player in the growing low earth orbit space market, as well as servicing its own sovereign defence and commercial needs.
“This acquisition will allow us to combine a range of space capabilities that help deliver information advantage, multi-domain operations and networking for our customers. We look forward to welcoming the In-Space Missions team to BAE Systems.”
This acquisition is part of BAE Systems’ strategy to develop breakthrough technologies, pursuing bolt-on acquisitions where they complement existing capabilities and provide an opportunity to accelerate technology development in key areas, as evidenced with recent acquisitions such as Prismatic, Techmodal and PPM Ltd.
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