SPACE surveillance technology developed by a North-East school student with the British military in mind has attracted the attention of the Ministry of Defence.

Oliver Barber has created a low-Earth orbit surveillance system that gathers intelligence to identify possible dangers before they become critical, as part of his A-level work.

His findings are now being examined by the MOD and he has been invited to meet with Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, a senior Royal Air Force officer who serves as the first commander of UK Space Command, to discuss the system’s capabilities.

Read more: Work starts on new unit at Aycliffe Secure Children’s Home

The 17-year-old from Ponteland, who wants to study aerospace engineering at university, said: “I’ve developed a system that uses hyperspectral imaging - a technique that can be used to find objects and identify materials – and can be used for preventative intelligence gathering, in particular by the British military.

“I’ve invested well over 120 hours on the project, created 3D models and HD renders to sit alongside my academic report, and I’m excited to meet Air Vice-Marshal Godfrey in person later this month to discuss its potential.”

Oliver, who attends Dame Allan’s in Newcastle where is studying for A-levels in maths, physics and history, opted to take an EPQ - a qualification worth the equivalent of half an A-level - to explore ways to optimise LEO surveillance systems.

Will Scott, who is the principal at Dame Allan’s, said: “Oliver has invested an incredible amount of time into his EPQ studies and demonstrated just how far students can go with these independent research projects. He is passionate about the subject and hopes to carve a career for himself in the industry one day. To be making these steps at just 17-years-old is really excellent.”

As part of his work, Oliver connected with industry leaders at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, hyperspectral imaging firm HySpex, and the UK’s Ministry of Defence Space Directorate.

The National Space Strategy, published in September, laid out plans to invest £1.4bn in new technologies in space domain awareness, intelligence and surveillance over the next ten years.

Oliver will travel to UK Space Command headquarters at RAF High Wycombe to meet with Air Vice-Marshal Godfrey on January 22.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054