The satellite will have a number of viewing modes that will enable it to perform a wide range of roles, from flood monitoring and land cover classification to disaster mapping and maritime enforcement - notably ship tracking and oil spill detection.

BBC: Surrey to start making radar satellites

The Royal Navy said the ship had been at the forefront of its mine detection capability in the region, where it has been working closely with multi-national forces.

BBC: Minehunter HMS Pembroke returns to Clyde naval base

NASA's slice of the pie includes a plan that would improve detection of near-Earth asteroids, send a solar-powered robot ship (like the NASA concept above) to capture one of the space rocks and tow it back to a stable orbit near Earth, where researchers could study it up close.

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