WASHINGTON — The United Kingdom unveiled a 2027-2035 UK space strategy built around defence, national security and economic growth, alongside an interagency plan allocating more than £7.8 billion, or about $10.6 billion, through 2030.
Officials said the UK space strategy puts accelerated development on four subsectors: satellite communications, space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, and access to space, including domestic launch.
These areas were chosen for their growth prospects, value to the broader economy, alignment with defence priorities and their role in shaping a more competitive and strategically focused sector, according to the strategy.
UK space strategy emphasizes defence and space control
The documents do not present a full Ministry of Defence investment total, but they outline several priority efforts. These include space domain awareness capabilities that are nationally separable from allied programs, independent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, a sovereign and resilient positioning, navigation and timing infrastructure, and novel space technologies.
The strategy formalizes a government commitment to enable the MoD to achieve space control. The document states the UK must be able to ensure freedom of action in, from and through space, protect UK and allied space interests, and deny adversaries the same freedoms, described as the Control of Space Requirement.
It adds that the government will urgently pursue an integrated, whole-of-government approach to deliver this requirement across all orbital domains, using military, diplomatic, regulatory and legal tools to deter threats and safeguard UK and allied interests.
To implement this, the MoD and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade will establish an integrated roadmap that links civil and defence technology development in in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, space domain awareness and space control. Forthcoming updates to defence space policy are expected to include this roadmap.
Major MoD investments in ISR and space domain awareness
The largest MoD commitment detailed is £880 million between 2026/2027 and 2029/2030 for ISR and space control activities. The technical annex says these funds will support sovereign space-based ISR systems and the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability with the United States and Australia. Construction of the UK DARC site is slated to begin next year. The documents do not specify the split between ISR projects and DARC.
By 2035, the UK aims to field a secure, assured, UK-owned and operated, nationally separable ISR capability, prioritizing technology, missions and infrastructure and supported by strong international relationships to improve monitoring of security risks.
While the strategy describes a number of planned civil agency investments in remote sensing to underpin ISR, including contributions to European Space Agency programs, it does not detail MoD budget lines. It notes continued investment in the £968 million ISTARI program to deliver a multi-satellite ISR constellation and associated ground systems by 2031.
Beyond DARC, the MoD is tasked with partnering across civil agencies, including continued support for the National Space Operations Centre, which is jointly managed with the US Space Agency. The MoD will also solely lead enhancements to the Borealis command, control and data processing system for the joint center, including improvements to sensor tasking. Borealis began in May with a £65 million contract to CGI UK.
ISAM, PNT and novel technologies in the UK space strategy
Although the MoD will contribute to ISAM development, the UK Space Agency will be the primary investor in commercial ISAM firms. The technical annex says the government plans to publish guidance in 2026 to support ISAM and lunar missions, incorporating remote proximity operations sandbox findings to advance Active Debris Removal and ISAM.
For PNT, most activity will be driven by civilian agencies. The MoD will lead concept studies for technology to deliver global timing that is independent of, and not vulnerable to, GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems.
The strategy also notes that the MoD intends to allocate at least 10 percent of its annual Equipment Programme budget to novel technologies, including £420 million to speed delivery of innovative space capabilities.
Europe’s broader focus on defence and deterrence has also been reflected in initiatives such as EU weighs funding for Ukraine Patriot missiles purchase, underscoring how space, air and missile defence priorities are increasingly interconnected.