Psst: Want to know who else has their snout in the Copernicus trough? (spoiler: it's not the UK)

Rubbing salt into wounded British pride over a lack of prime contracts, Thales Alenia Space trumpeted its ESA awards last week. The French tentacle of the outfit picked up the prime contractor prize for the Hyperspectral Imaging mission while its Italian arm took prime contractor duties for the Passive Microwave Imaging …

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Thales?

Would this be the same company that asset-stripped... sorry, "acquired" Racal at the turn of the century?

Funny how our stuff is good enough for them to want to buy all the IP but not good enough to fly...

[Uffish]

Re: Racal

"Ah, Racal," I thought, reading your comment, "whatever happened to Racal?"

The Wiki article starts, like so many other Wiki articles about once proud British companies, "Racal was".

I don't know why so many of our companies get driven into the ground. Don't blame Thales - ask why Racal was put up for sale.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Thales?

As soon as a read "Racal" I heard "Racal-Redac" in my head. Couldn't work out why but a bit of googling suggests it was PCB design software. Presumably was related to Racal at some point...

[davidp231]

Copernicus

Copper knickers!

</Penfold

[Potemkine!]

This MEV is really a great idea. Congrats Northrop, you're still thinking ahead of others.

[Vulch]

Next Starlink

The next Starlink launch is currently on for tomorrow, July 8th, at 15:59 UTC. Weather is 60% favourable, recovery fleet is on its way out.

[x 7]

Zero-X

Is the MEV going to be launched by the Zero-X?

[davidp231]

Re: Zero-X

Now which one are we talking... the one that found the rock creatures or the one that found the Mysterons....

[fnusnu]

UK has done well. Someone else's taxpayers are paying and we will have access to the data

[Killing Time]

Someone else's taxpayers are paying and we will have access to 'some of' the data.

Sorted that out for you. Wouldn't want to mislead anyone, would you?

[AlanS]

ESA is not EU

So we are paying but will have the data.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: ESA is not EU

And for that matter, we still paying full EU membership fees until the end of the transition period so yes, UK tax payers are most definitely contributing to these missions.