Surrey Satellite Technology
Pioneer of small satellites using commercial off-the-shelf components.
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) builds and runs small satellites. It started as a spin-off from the University of Surrey and is now fully owned by Airbus Defence and Space. The company grew out of work on amateur radio satellites, known as UoSAT or OSCAR missions. SSTL was set up in 1985 after successful tests using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts in satellites, starting with the UoSat-1 test satellite. It still funds research with the university’s Surrey Space Centre.
In April 2008, the University of Surrey agreed to sell its majority stake in the company to EADS Astrium. That August, SSTL opened a US subsidiary with offices and a production site in Denver, Colorado, but stopped manufacturing there in 2017 and closed the subsidiary. The company won the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement in 1998 and the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in 2005. In 2006, it received the Times Higher Education award for outstanding contribution to innovation and technology. In 2009, it ranked 89th out of 997 companies in the Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for. In 2020, SSTL began building a telecommunications spacecraft called Lunar Pathfinder for lunar missions, due to launch in 2027 to relay data back to Earth.
During the Cold War, only a few superpowers could afford space access; satellites were expensive, limited, and could not be reprogrammed. In the late 1970s, a University of Surrey team led by Martin Sweeting experimented with COTS parts. Their first satellite, UoSAT-1, was built in a small lab using a cleanroom made from B&Q supplies and hand-drawn circuit boards on a kitchen table. Launched in 1981 with NASA’s help, it was the first modern reprogrammable small satellite and lasted over eight years instead of its planned three. The team then commercialised their work, founding SSTL in 1985 in Guildford, Surrey. Since then, it has worked with many international customers and launched over 70 satellites.
In 2002, SSTL moved into remote sensing with the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) and a subsidiary, DMC International Imaging. Some DMC satellites carried extra payloads like image compression (on BilSAT), GPS reflectometry, and an onboard Internet router (on UK-DMC). They used Internet Protocol for data and control, extending the Internet into space and enabling Interplanetary Internet experiments.
Quick Facts
- Key People
- Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, Group Executive Chairman · Andrew Cawthorne, MD from December 2024
- Industry
- Aerospace
- Products
- Satellites and related services
- Revenue
- £2.6m on £92m sales for FY 2011. £30m turnover, £1.5m pre-tax profit were expected for FY 2006.
- Num Employees
- 350
- Founded
- Guildford, Surrey, UK (1985)
- Hq Location
- Guildford, Surrey
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
SSTL began in the late 1970s when a group of researchers at the University of Surrey, led by Martin Sweeting, experimented with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for satellite construction. Their first satellite, UoSAT-1, was assembled in a small university lab using a cleanroom fabricated from B&Q and printed circuit boards designed by hand on a kitchen table. Launched in 1981 with NASA's aid, it was the first modern reprogrammable small satellite and outlived its planned three-year life by more than five years. The success led to the founding of SSTL in 1985 as a spin-off venture from the university.
The company grew steadily, working with international customers to launch over 70 satellites over three decades. In 2002, it moved into remote sensing with the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) and a child company, DMC International Imaging. The DMC satellites communicated with ground stations using the Internet Protocol, extending the Internet into space. In 2004, SpaceX acquired a 10% stake in SSTL from Surrey University. In April 2008, the University of Surrey sold its majority share (roughly 80%) to EADS Astrium. SSTL remained an independent entity despite all shares being purchased by Airbus, the parent company of EADS Astrium.
In 2005, SSTL completed GIOVE-A1, the first test satellite for Europe's Galileo navigation system, and later supplied 22 navigation payloads for Galileo. In 2017, it was awarded a contract for a further 12 payloads. The company also developed synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) technology and smaller, lighter satellite units. In 2008, it opened a US subsidiary in Denver, Colorado, but discontinued manufacturing there in 2017, consolidating all production in the UK.
Reader's Guide
SSTL's significance lies in its demonstration that small, inexpensive satellites built with commercial off-the-shelf components could perform sophisticated missions, disrupting the established satellite industry. The company's early work with UoSAT-1 proved the viability of reprogrammable small satellites, leading to a new class of affordable spacecraft. Its Disaster Monitoring Constellation extended the Internet into space and enabled rapid Earth observation. SSTL's contributions to the Galileo navigation system and its development of platforms like the Eutelsat Quantum satellite—the company's first geostationary platform—show its evolution into advanced satellite systems. The company's legacy includes fostering a commercial small-satellite sector, with its technologies and approaches adopted by numerous international customers. Its spin-off from academic research and subsequent acquisition by Airbus Defence and Space illustrate a path from university experiment to industrial capability. The company's work on missions such as RemoveDEBRIS (active debris removal), NovaSAR-1 (synthetic aperture radar), and the planned Lunar Pathfinder for lunar communications demonstrates ongoing innovation in space applications.
More in Radio Manufacturers, Part 2 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced