Surrey firm to fire probes into the moon

It IS set to be a very British space mission. Engineers have unveiled plans to fire probes into the moon from a satellite to learn more about its structure.

But this is no Nasa-style blockbuster - the project is being masterminded from an industrial estate in Guildford.

"People are always surprised we are here," said Andy Bradford, director of engineering at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. "I think they expect something completely different."

The firm was set up by Sir Martin Sweeting to develop small, low-cost satellites for the University of Surrey. Roughly the size of a washing machine, they are used to provide communications, take pictures of the earth, and monitor the environment and climate.

SSTL's satellites are built using off-the-shelf components wherever possible. Mr Bradford said: "Our memory and computer chips are the same as you'd find in your home computer, and our batteries are based on mobile phone batteries.

"We want to offer a cheaper, lower risk way to get into space.

"A traditional satellite is the size of a double-decker bus, whereas ours is the of a washing machine and weighs about 50kg." They are also cheaper, costing about £6million.

The firm has already launched 32 satellites from modified cruise missiles in Russia, and has set its sights higher.

"We are going to be leading Moonlite, which will launch four rockets into the moon to study the geology," said Mr Bradford. "The next step is to work on spacecraft that can leave the earth's orbit."

Moonlite is undergoing a government review, with results due in December, when it could be approved. It would be the first British-led scientific space programme in more than 30 years.

SSTL is also hoping to work with Virgin Galactic, the company set up by Sir Richard Branson, on a low-cost satellite launch system.