Signal UK Unveils £7.8bn Space Strategy, with Satellite Connectivity Central to Reducing Reliance on Starlink

Summary

The UK government unveiled a new £7.8 billion national space strategy through 2030. £2.8 billion is allocated to satellite connectivity, including the UK Space Agency's C-LEO program and the Ministry of Defence's Skynet program, while £880 million goes to space control and intelligence and £149 million to ESA space domain awareness. An additional £30 million is allocated to the SaxaVord Space Centre in Shetland and £148 million to European rocket programs. The strategy sets four priority areas: communications, space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, and assured access to space. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described it as "a new frontier of economic and military competition." The plan links to Europe's IRIS² multi-orbit satellite constellation initiative to reduce reliance on Starlink, leveraging the Shetland launch facility and domestic technology firms.