Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ending deep-space signal processing and long-baseline observation expertise at Jodrell Bank Observatory on the UK's space situational awareness and satellite tracking capabilities.

The UK’s Space Domain Awareness capability is provided by the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC). It uses data from UK sensors, commercial providers, and international partners to protect UK interests from space related threats, risks and hazards. NSpOC does not currently, nor are there any plans to, use data from Jodrell Bank Observatory.

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade is investing £85m during this Spending Review period to enhance the UK’s space domain awareness capabilities.

To maintain the UK's long-term capability in radio astronomy, the Government is investing in the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, with £327 million committed between 2021 and 2030.