The Home Office is planning to spend £15 million on spy satellites that will monitor migrants attempting to cross the Channel.
Government contracts revealed the department had sealed the huge deal with Telespazio – a global space firm with a UK branch in Luton.
Telespazio will provide enhanced surveillance for the Joint Maritime Security Centre which ensures the country can respond to ‘threats to security, law and order, and the marine environment’.
It will improve the Home Office’s ability to identify ‘dark targets’ – which do not emit tracking data – such as ships used by criminals to smuggle goods, and small boats used by Channel migrants.
Radar, hi-tech cameras and sensors have already been hired to provide 24/7 surveillance of those attempting the journey across the Channel.
This year has seen the most migrant Channel deaths on record – with 36,204 migrants arriving in the UK on dinghies.
Since records began in 2018 more than 150,000 migrants have made the perilous crossing.
The Home Office is planning to spend £15 million on spy satellites which will track migrants crossing the Channel from space. Pictured: A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel, on December 29, 2024
The Luton-based branch of Telespazio UK will provide enhanced surveillance for the Joint Maritime Security Centre which ensures the country can respond to ‘threats to security, law and order, and the marine environment’ (stock image)
Migrants board a smuggler’s inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on Bleriot beach in Sangatte, near Calais, northern France on October 30, 2024
A redacted contract, published by the Government in December, shows that the contractor has to comply with the Officials Secret Act.
The contract began in November and is set to run until next September, with a total value of £15 million.
An order form reads: ‘Maritime security is a key enabler to Homeland Security, surveillance of the Maritime domain for UK security requires a multi-layered approach.
‘Satellite surveillance products provide longer range coverage but lack persistence, whereas terrestrial sensors such as RADAR provide persistence at shorter ranges.’
A Home Office spokesperson told The Sun: ‘The Joint Maritime Security Centre is harnessing cutting edge technology and capabilities to provide 24/7 monitoring of UK waters and ensure our borders are secure.
‘Effective use of satellites ensure we can play a key role in detecting ‘dark vessels’ at sea, such as those involved in illegal immigration, illegal fishing activities, drug smuggling, ship-to-ship transfers of goods and evading sanctions.
Government contracts revealed the department had sealed a huge deal with Telespazio – a global company which specialises in space operations. Pictured: British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
‘And in the channel, the UK is taking steps to tackle small boat crossings through our Border Security Command, recruiting more investigative officers and working more closely with our European partners to ensure the vile people smugglers are brought to justice.’
It comes as at least three migrants died while attempting to cross the Channel to the UK yesterday, officials said.
A large-scale rescue operation was launched on a beach in Sangatte, in northern France, after the first alert was raised at about 6.15am.
Firefighters and law enforcement officers were deployed in vast numbers at the Tom Souville base.
Authorities have warned the death toll may rise, as investigations are carried out by prosecutors in Boulogne-sur-Mer and judicial police tried to locate those who provided the boats.
About 50 migrants have been taken into the care of French humanitarian charity Utopia 56, and ten people with severe hypothermia are being cared for by firefighters. Four individuals were taken to hospital.
Three unconscious people were pulled from the water but could not be revived, despite efforts by medical teams.
Many survivors reported seeing a child falling into the sea, and there was no sign of the missing person by Sunday evening.
Célestin Pichaud, coordinator of the Utopia 56 refugee charity, said: ‘People on site immediately told us that a child had fallen into the water, but we had no information about a child being found.’
MailOnline has contacted Telespazio UK for comment.
