Space and the UK Defence Investment Plan
On 1st July, the UK Ministry of Defence released the Defence Investment Plan. Based on the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the plan covers the directions envisioned for investment across major warfighting domains, including space. MoD writes that this document “is intended to demonstrate to Parliament and the public how increasing defence
investment is being spent.”
Investment into Space Command
MoD plans investing into UK Space Command in order to improve Space Domain Awareness and “protect critical national assets in orbit.” How that protection works is not described in this document, other than to state that the RAF is to “deliver a comprehensive joint force which will sense, warn, and deter threats” and while doing so spin up a new Space Systems Group which is to “cohere space operational requirements across Defence and catalyse the delivery of new capability to the frontline at pace to deter emerging threats.”
To that end, and with the space-related lessons learnt thus far from Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, the MoD foresees:
- Satellite Communications expenditures at £2.3b over FY26/27 – FY29/30
- Space-based ISR and Space Control expenditures at £880m in the same time frame
Where the transformations lie
MoD sees some of these investments as bringing something new or different to the table. This includes:
- Space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
- A global Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (under AUKUS)
- Space Domain Awareness and Control
- SKYET, and
- A new Integrated Air, Space and Missile Defence Operations Centre (IASMDOC)
MoD will invest £40m to begin integrating the command and control of air defence and space operations, protecting critical national assets in the homeland and in space. The ministry also notes that it expects to spend more than £9bn to develop new space-related capabilities.
One programme which will not be moving forward is SKYNET 6, as the use of SKYNET 5 will be extended and specific communication modes will be developed under other projects.
The full Defence Investment Plan can be found here.
On 1st July, the UK Ministry of Defence released the Defence Investment Plan. Based on the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the plan covers the directions envisioned for investment across major warfighting domains, including space. MoD writes that this document “is intended to demonstrate to Parliament and the public how increasing defence
investment is being spent.”
Investment into Space Command
MoD plans investing into UK Space Command in order to improve Space Domain Awareness and “protect critical national assets in orbit.” How that protection works is not described in this document, other than to state that the RAF is to “deliver a comprehensive joint force which will sense, warn, and deter threats” and while doing so spin up a new Space Systems Group which is to “cohere space operational requirements across Defence and catalyse the delivery of new capability to the frontline at pace to deter emerging threats.”
To that end, and with the space-related lessons learnt thus far from Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, the MoD foresees:
- Satellite Communications expenditures at £2.3b over FY26/27 – FY29/30
- Space-based ISR and Space Control expenditures at £880m in the same time frame
Where the transformations lie
MoD sees some of these investments as bringing something new or different to the table. This includes:
- Space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
- A global Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (under AUKUS)
- Space Domain Awareness and Control
- SKYET, and
- A new Integrated Air, Space and Missile Defence Operations Centre (IASMDOC)
MoD will invest £40m to begin integrating the command and control of air defence and space operations, protecting critical national assets in the homeland and in space. The ministry also notes that it expects to spend more than £9bn to develop new space-related capabilities.
One programme which will not be moving forward is SKYNET 6, as the use of SKYNET 5 will be extended and specific communication modes will be developed under other projects.
The full Defence Investment Plan can be found here.
