Flight Readiness Achieved for CarbSAR Mission With SSTL and Oxford Space Systems

Flight Readiness Achieved for CarbSAR Mission With SSTL and Oxford Space Systems
by Sophie Jenkins
London, UK (SPX) Oct 25, 2025

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited and Oxford Space Systems have completed the Flight Readiness Review for the upcoming CarbSAR in-Orbit Demonstration mission. This initiative pairs SSTL's Carbonite platform and Oxford Space Systems' advanced Wrapped Rib Antenna to enable synthetic aperture radar Earth observation from a compact low Earth orbit satellite.

Both organizations jointly designed, manufactured, and tested the CarbSAR satellite and Wrapped Rib Antenna, with additional financial contributions from the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, the Defence and Security Accelerator, and Airbus Defence and Space. Oxford Space Systems used the project to expand its industrial capabilities and apply key manufacturing expertise and test data to other ventures, including the UK Government's Oberon earth observation programme.

"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' innovative Wrapped Rib Antenna, paving the way for a transformative capability in compact SAR Earth observation."

The CarbSAR satellite uses SSTL's Carbonite series design and integrates a deployable X-band SAR payload, enabling high resolution, all-weather and day-night imaging. SAR imagery provides surveillance intelligence similar to optical images and operates independently of solar illumination and weather constraints.

The Wrapped Rib Antenna, developed by Oxford Space Systems, is optimized for stowage and scalability, designed for use across multiple satellite missions. Its successful qualification testing validates readiness for demonstration in orbit and enhances future programmes utilizing the same design.