UK joins the space race

30th July 2021 - 17:44 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin and Military Chiefs at the new UK Space Command. (Photo: UK MOD)

The UK has joined the growing group of nations that are dedicating more resources to the space domain with the launch of its Space Command.

The UK Space Command has officially been launched during a ceremony when the first Space Operator Badges were presented to eight personnel.

Space Command will protect UK interests in space and builds on the commitments stated in the Defence Command Paper, which aims to invest an additional £1.4billion on space over the next ten years.

Additional funding could be available through the £24billion increase in Defence funding over the next four years, as announced by the Prime Minister in 2020.

The space domain enables the Armed Forces to undertake most defence tasks; any disruption could have significant consequences on civilian, commercial, economic and military activity.

Jeremy Quin, Minister for Defence Procurement, said of Space Command that ‘it is vital we invest in space to ensure we maintain a battle-winning advantage across this fast-evolving operational domain.’

Space Command is jointly staffed by personnel from the RAF, Army, RN, civil servants and commercial partners.

Once operating a full capability, it will provide command and control of crucial space assets such as the UK’s Space Operations Centre, RAF Flyingdales, SKYNET and more.

This news follows from the announcement on 13 July 2021 of Germany’s newly established Space Command.