Government announces new spacecraft to track down comets and map them in 3D will be built in Britain
A new spacecraft to track down comets and map them in 3D will be built in Britain, the Government has announced.
Thales Alenia Space, which employs 200 scientists and engineers in the UK, will design and build the ‘Comet Chaser’ at its sites in Bristol and Harwell, Oxfordshire.
Trailblazer: Thales Alenia Space ‘Comet Chaser’ at its sites in Bristol and Harwell, Oxfordshire
Once in space, the craft’s mothership will wait in a parking orbit before launching robotic probes, built by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to track the comet and beam data.
Science Minister Amanda Solloway said the mission was ‘testament to our world-leading expertise’ in space research.