UK commits £7.8B to orbital assets and space strategy

The UK government is committing £7.8bn to a unified space strategy to protect orbital assets and drive reindustrialisation.

Formally replacing the 2021 National Space Strategy, the policy integrates civilian and military space programmes under the Modern Industrial Strategy. The framework covers an existing UK space sector valued at £18.6 billion and supporting more than 55,000 jobs.

Jonathan Reynolds, Business, Innovation, Science, and Trade Secretary, said: “As space becomes a new frontier of economic and military competition, this plan will help keep Britain secure by strengthening our ability to launch satellites, detect threats, and protect the services people rely on every day. 

“At the same time, this plan will enable our excellent UK industry to seize the boundless opportunities of this new age in space, creating skilled jobs, driving growth, and improving connectivity for all of us.”

More than £3 billion of the total expenditure is drawn directly from the Defence Investment Plan to protect orbital infrastructure and counter hostile interference.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting comments: “This space strategy recognises that our national security depends on our freedom of action in space and, if necessary, the ability to protect UK and allied space assets.

“As threats in orbit grow more sophisticated, so must our ability to detect and respond to them, ensuring we protect the interests of the UK and allies while fuelling economic growth along the way.”

Tracking orbital threats and space domain awareness

Space Domain Awareness programmes receive targeted capital, including £149 million for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Vigil mission and £85 million for the National Space Operations Centre. Technical tracking assets will provide early warnings for orbital collisions, solar storms, and hostile activity targeting domestic infrastructure.

An allocation of £880 million funds space control as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The operational focus centres on tracking terrestrial military activity and detecting attacks against satellite constellations.

Connectivity programmes secured £2.8 billion, targeted primarily at the Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit initiative and the SKYNET defence communications system. A supplementary £57 million from the Department for Transport funds satellite integrations aimed at rail connectivity to lower mobile network dropouts on train routes.

In-orbit servicing and UK space launch infrastructure

The strategy assigns £40 million to in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) technologies. The funding supports remote maintenance, orbital debris removal, and the in-space manufacturing of products such as semiconductors for the electrical grid and specialised pharmaceuticals.

Launch capability receives direct support via £148 million for European rocket programmes alongside £30 million allocated to the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. Space science and exploration initiatives secure £163 million, which covers the delivery of the Stevenage-built Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover to progress autonomous systems and AI development.

Research councils and meteorological services receive ring-fenced budgets, with £190 million distributed via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for space science and astronomy, and £9 million designated to the Met Office for space weather observation and modelling.

Simon Brown, Met Office Managing Director, said: “Space based observations are critical for delivering weather forecasts and climate intelligence that people rely on every day to stay safe and grow the economy of the UK. Advancements in space observations are allowing us to improve our weather forecasts and also give us new imagery which helps us show the impacts of other hazards such as wildfires and drought which we have seen this summer.

“Delivering new and innovative space capability is important to enhance our preparedness for extreme weather and exploit the latest advances in our prediction capability using both physics and AI models.”

Whitehall is moving to a consolidated space procurement model across departments, beginning with satellite communications purchasing to simplify commercial engagement for domestic suppliers. The government is also revising national space regulations to lower administrative costs, offer incentives to responsible commercial operators, and streamline mission licensing for in-orbit servicing and lunar exploration.

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