Raytheon to acquire UK startup Northern Space and Security (Image Credit: Space News)
WASHINGTON — Raytheon Intelligence & Space announced July 18 it intends to acquire Northern Space and Security, or NORSS, a UK-based startup that specializes in space domain awareness, orbital analysis, space surveillance and tracking.
NORSS was founded in 2017 by Royal Air Force veteran Ralph Dinsley. It provides orbital analyst technical services to the UK Space Agency and recently won a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to develop a new simulator system for developing and testing future British military satellites and constellations.
The value and terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Space domain awareness is an area of particular interest for Raytheon UK’s Strategic Research Group, part of the company’s UK-based space business. For NORSS, the acquisition is an opportunity to break into the U.S. market.
“The acquisition, upon completion, will facilitate expansion by NORSS through access into new markets,” said Dinsley, the executive director of NORSS. “As part of Raytheon Intelligence & Space, we will have expanded access to international markets, continued investments in research and development, and opportunities to collaborate on the next generation of space technologies.”
The combination “will enhance the quality of the UK’s orbital analysis and space situational awareness technologies,” said Jeff Lewis, chief executive of Raytheon UK.
