Britain said on Wednesday it would start work on an alternative satellite system to the European Union's Galileo project to ensure its national security if it is barred from equal access to the EU program after Brexit.

The British government, which still wants to remain involved in Galileo, said it would spend 92 million pounds ($117 million) on plans for an independent satellite system, led by the UK Space Agency with support from the Ministry of Defense.

The Galileo system, which will eventually have 30 satellites, is designed to compete with the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), used for commercial, military and other critical applications such as guiding aircraft.