TDS-1 payloads include instruments to track ships and monitor the sea surface for freak waves, and even a self-destruct "sail" that will pull the spacecraft out of the sky at the end of its mission.

BBC: Plan to 'Catapult' UK space tech

These "rules" call on space operators in LEO to make sure their equipment naturally falls out of the sky within 25 years of the end of a mission.

BBC: 'Urgent need' to remove space debris

Graham McWilliam, Sky's director of corporate affairs said the decision was "nothing short of BBC mission creep".

BBC: Project Canvas given green light by BBC Trust

Sky's director of corporate affairs, Graham McWilliam, has called it "nothing short of BBC mission creep" while Virgin Media lodged a complaint with media regulator Ofcom in August saying it was anti-competitive and could destroy the online TV market.

BBC: Project Canvas to become YouView