The ISTARI programme will be allocated £968m of the amount to build a multi-satellite system for supporting global surveillance and intelligence for military operations
UK’s space defence capabilities gets a £1.4bn funding boost from the government. (Credit: Crown copyright)
The UK government has announced an investment of £1.4bn in cutting-edge technology to strengthen the country’s space defence capabilities in an era of ever-increasing threats.
The investment is part of the first Defence Space Strategy (DSS) published by the Ministry of Defence, which outlines the government’s vision for defence as a global actor in the space domain.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the investment in space defence capabilities will also trigger growth across the space sector and support highly skilled roles across the country.
Over the next 10 years, the government will invest £968m to build a multi-satellite system for supporting increased global surveillance and intelligence for military operations under the ISTARI programme.
An additional £61m will be injected towards exploring cutting-edge laser communications technology for sending data from space to Earth at superfast broadband speeds.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “It’s crucial we continue to push the frontiers of our defence space ambitions, enhancing our military resilience and strengthening our nation’s security.
“This significant investment will help to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of space innovation and one step ahead of our competitors.”
The UK government said that the announced investment in space defence adds to the existing £5bn allocated for upgrading the country’s Skynet satellite communications capability to enable providing strategic communication services to the British Armed Forces and allies.
The published Defence Space Strategy calls for close international collaboration with the UK’s allies and NATO to safeguard the country’s interests in space, build stability, boost resilience, and avert conflicts from extending into space.
The UK government has also announced a series of supporting programmes to be launched as part of the Defence Space Strategy. These will be financed via existing investment.
One of the programmes is ‘MINERVA’, which will see an investment of £127m over the coming four years to build a satellite network to integrate space with land, sea, air, and cyber.
Another programme is PROMETHEUS 2, which features two tiny satellites designed to offer a test platform for monitoring via GPS, sophisticated imaging, and radio signals.