The U.K. Government has published its latest national space strategy as it looks to bring space investment and activity under one plan. The aim is to drive growth, strengthen security and back the technologies that underpin modern life. It is spending almost 8 billion pounds ($10.8 billion) until 2030 across a variety of areas as it looks to develop a number of space-based capabilities. The U.K. government unveiled its latest plans here, Sept. 8.
For example, the U.K. government plans to invest 880 million pounds ($1.2 billion) to help beef up space control and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, funding technologies that can track military activity on the ground and potential attacks on satellites, giving it the capability to act quickly and decisively to secure space assets, as well as daily life in the U.K.
A further 2.8 billion pounds ($3.8 billion) will go toward strengthening connectivity, including the Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit and SKYNET defense communications programs.
“This space strategy recognizes that our national security depends on our freedom of action in space and, if necessary, the ability to protect U.K. 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 U.K. and allies while fuelling economic growth along the way,” Wes Streeting, U.K. Defence Secretary, said in a statement.
Streeting said the strategy is backed by the Defence Investment Plan to invest more than more than 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) to ensure defense capabilities in space keep pace with the threats we face and support reindustrialization in the U.K.
Rafel Jordá Siquier, CEO and founder of Open Cosmos, when talking about the plans said it the latest strategy document shows that the U.K. government understands that control over space technologies, like connectivity through LEO constellations, is integral to defence, national infrastructure, Earth Observation (EO) and economic development. “The opportunity now is to turn that ambition into long-term capability that strengthens the U.K.’s resilience, security and position in space,” he added.
