With the publication of the Defence Space Strategy (DSS) in early February, after many months of delays, the UK has attempted to add more substance to the often ephemeral ambitions of the country in a domain that will be the keystone for defence in the decades ahead.
To this end, the DSS has promised a series of investments totalling £1.4bn, which would be committed to “cutting-edge” technologies to protect UK interests in space. This includes £968m for a new multi-satellite system to support greater global surveillance and intelligence for military operations – known as the ASTARI programme – and a further £61m to explore laser communications technology to deliver data from space to Earth at speeds equivalent to terrestrial superfast broadband.