Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 81, what is the scope of the capabilities to enhance our awareness of space activities and protect our critical national assets in orbit that he plans to deliver.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is enhancing our awareness of space activities through significant investment in UK Space Domain Awareness (SDA) research and capability development. This investment includes upgrading the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) and developing a range of UK SDA sensors.The UK is also participating in the US-led trilateral Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) programme, which will provide 24/7, all-weather SDA capabilities that increase our ability to detect, track, identify and characterise objects up to Geostationary Earth Orbit.

To protect our critical national assets in orbit, the MOD will ensure the necessary Space Control systems and procedures are in place. Space Control means the use of defensive and offensive capabilities to assure access and freedom of action in space.