Space Must Have "Proper Role" In Deterring Threats Like Russia

Lord David Willetts, chair of the UK Space Agency since 2022, said the space domain "is increasingly important" to the UK's national security — not least because it can help the government monitor Russian and Chinese efforts to gain a foothold in the Arctic.

Space has become a more important part of national security and defence since it was recognised as a military domain alongside land, maritime, air and cyber. The impact of a deliberate disruption of UK space systems and space-based services was described as significant in the government's 2025 risk register.

A Russian attack in space was the prelude to the invasion of Ukraine. 

The UK and its allies said that Moscow was almost certainly responsible for a cyberattack on satellite Internet company Viasat that took place just an hour before Russian troops started to cross the border on 24 February 2022. While the Ukrainian military was the primary target of the attack, personal and commercial internet users were also impacted, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre said at the time.

On Tuesday, the day after the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that defence spending will increase to 2.5 per cent by 2027, and that the government would set out plans to hit 3 per cent in "the next parliament".

Starmer told MPs that the move was a "generational response" to a "generational challenge". The government has faced growing pressure, including from Labour MPs, to boost defence spending in light of the Donald Trump administration signalling that the US will play a reduced role in protecting the West from aggressors.

Exact spending allocations are yet to be set out following the announcement, but Willets said it's "important" that space is given a "proper role in future defence strategy".

“Space, especially low Earth orbit constellations, are very important for understanding — both for observation of what's happening there, and also for communications in that area.

"So space matters."

The former Tory MP and minister said there's "increasing interest" in how space technology can deter growing security threats in the Arctic, "partly because of the melting of the Arctic ice and increasing activity by Russia and China using the shipping lanes that become available".

Willetts told PoliticsHome that there are "ever more sophisticated attacks" and "ever more sophisticated ways in which you can use control over the space domain".

He pointed to the potential for fraud in financial transactions by altering the timing it took place, hoodwinking people about their location and even getting a missile to go to a slightly different location. "All these vulnerabilities need to be taken into account."

The government declined to comment. However, PoliticsHome understands that space will be considered as part of the strategic defence review.

Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for Wyre Forest and shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, who has a keen interest in space, said there are numerous threats to the UK in that domain.

For example, the use of atomic clocks in space allows the UK to make transactions. If those were taken out, no payments could be made, throwing the economy into chaos. "The military threat in space is that you can be attacked on the earth from space, and your assets in space can be attacked as well," Garnier said.

Neil Shastri-Hurst, chair of Defence Technology APPG told PoliticsHome that there is a clear need to make greater investment of our defence budget on the UK's space capabilities. 

"The reality is that strategically without space, we cannot control land, maritime, or air, said the Conservative MP for Solihull West and Shirley, adding that the UK is "overly reliant on our allies" when it comes to space capabilities.

"This status quo cannot persist. It is incumbent upon the government to ensure we develop and maintain our own capability so that we have the strategic operability to tackle the global threats that exist," he said.

James Clark, previously a special adviser to former Conservative defence secretary Grant Shapps, agreed that the UK does not have enough space capability. 

He said part of the problem is that, from his experience, space crosses eight different government ministries, meaning that no one department owns the issue despite its importance.

"Space underpins so many technologies that are vital for the proper functioning of military forces in all other domains.

"We need to have sovereign national capability in terms of infrastructure and we need to have a concerted government effort to pull through research and development. The UK cannot be left behind," he said.

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