By Kurtis Archer | 2025-12-17

As part of its efforts to enhance space security, the United Kingdom has launched a project to protect its satellites against adversary attacks through the development of sensors for countering lasers.

The project, a joint initiative of the UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency, aims to identify and defend against threats from lasers that can potentially track and "blind" satellites, disrupting their communications.

An initial 500,000 GBP ($672,750) investment will be used to develop sensors that can identify laser characteristics from ground and space-based systems to determine whether they pose a threat to the satellite.

This will provide the armed forces with critical data that will help to protect British space systems and the assets of allies.

The initiative comes in response to the British government's 2025 Strategic Defense Review, which stresses the need to protect military investments in space from adversaries and develop stronger systems for space security.

The report calls for the government to increase its investment in satellite communications and intelligence and navigation networks, as well as building offensive capabilities.

The combined operational satellite fleets of China and Russia increased by 70% from 2019 to 2021, according to the report. Both nations are weaponizing space and have demonstrated anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon technologies.

The UK's strategy extends beyond optical defense to incorporate significant upgrades in satellite communication resilience.

On November 21, the UK Space Agency said it is investing 6.9 million GBP ($9.1 million) in satellite technology, supporting five projects through the European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems program.

The five projects showcase British expertise in next-generation satellite technologies and strengthen the UK’s role in advanced communications, it said.

Increased space investment

Global government space spending reached $135 billion in 2024, according to Novaspace's latest Government Space Programs report.

More than half the total, a full $73 billion, is dedicated to defense spending.

The global space economy is expected to reach $1.8 trillion over the next decade.

"The surge in government space budgets reflects the strategic importance of space," said Novaspace manager Charlotte Croison.

"Governments worldwide are not only expanding their capabilities to secure their assets in orbit but are leveraging space to enhance their geopolitical standing and foster economic growth."

The United States remains the world leader in space investment, allocating well over $50 billion to space programs in 2025.

The European Space Agency on November 27 secured the largest budget in its 50-year history to fund its programs for the next three years, a record 22.3 billion EUR ($26 billion).

In the UK, "the aerospace and defense sectors added over 42 billion GBP ($55.5 billion) to the economy last year, an increase of 64% in the last 10 years," said the UK Space Agency director of missions and capabilities Harshbir Sangha.

Vital satellite systems

"Space is a hugely important and contested frontline and satellites play a vital role in UK prosperity and security," Minister for Defense Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard said.

An estimated one-fifth of the British economy is reliant on satellite systems, which are used for activities such as banking transactions, GPS, weather forecasting and emergency services.

Disruption to GPS alone could cost the British economy 1 billion GBP ($1.31 billion) per day.

Satellites are essential for national defense, as they enable intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and immediate communication across platforms.

Even a brief loss of satellite service during a key operational period, such as intelligence gathering or controlling unmanned systems, could immediately undermine military missions.

Without space assets, armed forces "can’t effectively understand, move, communicate, and fight" in today’s military environment, said UK Space Command leader Gen. Paul Tedman.

"You’ve got to be able to protect your systems in space," he said.

"The Strategic Defense Review raised space to parity with the traditional warfighting domains and underscored the critical importance of space to our economy, prosperity and national security and defense," Tedman said.

"It made it clear that space does not just accessorize our way of war, in many respects it is changing it fundamentally," he added. "It also made clear that threats to our national interests in space are increasing."

"In this new era of threats, UK Space Command is competing against a growing arsenal of adversary counterspace systems and requires new and innovative edge technology to protect and defend our satellites,” he added.