Plans for UK's own GPS satellite system after Brexit may not be viable

The UK Government is investigating launching its own GPS satellite network after Brexit to replace EU Galileo access, but reports indicate that this plan may not be realistic.

The United Kingdom has been participating in the development and launch of the Galileo global navigation satellite system for years along with other European Union members. The €10 billion project has taken around 20 years to develop and provides both a low-accuracy commercial GPS signal that's free for anyone to use and a high-precision signal for security services, military installations, and commercial partners.

The terms of the UK's access to this high-precision signal will change when the country leaves the EU, and there are fears that our military and security services won't have the level of access they need. Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed to Sky News this week that the UK will not be seeking to use Galileo after Brexit and is instead investigating the possibility of launching its own satellite network at a cost of £3-5 billion.

This idea has been shot down by a number of industry experts who believe it's not feasible. Putting aside the enormous financial burden of building and launching a new satellite network, objections have been raised that the UK doesn't have the expertise to accomplish the task and that Galileo took over 20 years to develop. There's also the more practical problem that all of the frequency spectrum has already been allocated to other countries and there is none left for the UK to use.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said that it's unlikely the UK would be able to negotiate for access to Galileo after Brexit, but that it may be able to negotiate with another country to use part of its frequency allocation. He said "There is a way in which we can deliver something that is consistent with our military needs but with other allies willing to work with us."

Source: Sky News Breaking, Sky News