The UK Space Agency is looking to install a trio of new high-tech telescopes at Cooper’s Island to support international efforts to track objects in orbit.

A planning application said the new telescopes would be part of efforts to expand the agency’s National Space Operations Centre telescope observation capability.

Documents included in the submission said: “The installation will comprise three specialist optical telescopes used to observe and track objects in orbit and contribute to international efforts relating to space safety and sustainability.”

The telescopes would be owned by the UK Space Agency and used to support international space sustainability initiatives, including work associated with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the European Space Agency Zero Debris Charter and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Co-ordination Committee observations working group.

The documents added: “The observations undertaken by the facility will contribute to the safe operation of satellites providing critical services internationally, including weather monitoring, Earth observation and risk assessment, natural disaster response, maritime monitoring, deforestation monitoring, GPS/GNSS navigation and timing and global communications.

“Bermuda’s geographic location provides an important opportunity to extend the observational range of the National Space Operations Centre and contribute to this growing international network.”

The application said the project would also create commercial opportunities in Bermuda by potentially drawing space-sector companies and organisations to the island, along with creating jobs and educational opportunities.

Each of the three telescopes would be housed in a clamshell-style dome, which will remain closed when the telescope is not in use.

The documents said: “The telescopes require relatively unobstructed views of the sky, particularly towards the south, together with low levels of surrounding light pollution. Cooper’s Island therefore provides an advantageous setting for the proposed facility.

“Importantly, the telescope systems will not emit light during operation and will operate essentially silently.

“A faint mechanical sound may be generated for a short period while the clamshell domes are opening or closing, however, the telescope systems themselves are silent during observational use.

“The proposed facility is therefore anticipated to have minimal operational impact on the surrounding parkland environment.”

They added that the project would aim to support the Cooper’s Island Conservation Management Plan by removing invasive plants in the area around the site.

The planning application added: “These works have the potential to contribute positively to the ongoing maintenance, conservation and enhancement of Cooper’s Island while improving the immediate environment surrounding the proposed telescope installation.”

The Bermuda Government announced in 2024 that it was undergoing “exploratory discussions” with the UK Space Agency over possible future developments on the island.

Cooper’s Island earlier hosted a NASA tracking station, which opened in 1961 to support space missions out of Cape Canaveral Florida.

While the facility closed in 1999, a new NASA tracking station was opened in 2018 to assist the agency in “monitoring current and future missions”, including the Artemis II launch in April.