The Highly Adaptable Satellite (HYLAS) uses small satellite technology to help solve the problem of unequal access to broadband internet services across Europe.

HYLAS is a low cost satellite and will cover rural areas of western and central Europe that are unlikely to receive any terrestrial broadband service within the next ten years.

The idea is for internet services to be delivered either direct or through a central terminal in a village and then fed out to a cluster of users in a local area via a wi-fi network.

HYLAS is named after its 'highly adaptable' payload, developed by Astrium Limited. It automatically allocates varying amounts of power and bandwidth to the different regions within its footprint, reacting to the highs and lows of traffic demand. This means that between 150,000 and 300,000 users can access HYLAS at any one time.

As well as broadband Internet, HYLAS will facilitate the distribution and broadcast of a range of HDTV (high definition television) programmes over much of Europe.

By 2015, three million households are set to benefit from HYLAS. BNSC has contributed £24 million through the ARTES programme and the City of London over £50 million.

HYLAS is being designed and built by a core team from Avanti Communications and Astrium UK, with support from specialist organisations around Europe. Astrium Ltd's Generic Flexible Payload and Next Generation Antenna will be integrated into the Indian ISRO I-2K spacecraft platform.

Avanti Communications, the UK's only fixed satellite services operator, is launching HYLAS in 2009. The company will then offer state-of-the-art satellite services to corporate, telecommunications, video broadcasting and military users across Europe.

HYLAS will be the first UK-owned and operated broadcast satellite for 15 years.

SMALL SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY

UK scientists are at the forefront of developments in micro satellites. These are low cost, small satellite platforms.

Micro satellites use a range of new techniques that enable scientists to build and launch fast turnaround, cost-effective satellites with the same high-level results as more traditional satellite technology.

Since British scientists designed, built and launched the pioneering Ariel 3 on 5 May 1967, innovation in the UK has continued.

1985, the University of Surrey set up Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) to develop its success in small satellite platforms. SSTL is now a world leader in small satellite technology.

Their current microsatellite missions include the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) of satellites, and GIOVE-A, the first spacecraft in Europe's new Galileo satellite navigation system, and - with UK partners QinetiQ, the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratories and InfoTerra - TopSat.

DMC, GIOVE-A (originally Gemini) and TopSat were all originally developed as part of a BNSC-led Government project Micro Satellite Applications in Collaboration (MOSAIC).

SSTL is also involved in Project for Onboard Autonomy (Proba), the first microsatellite launched by the European Space Agency and its first fully autonomous spacecraft.

New satellite techniques like this are set to make a huge impact on the future of space missions, creating opportunities and opening up access to space.