UK Boosts Space Defences with £500k Laser Threat Sensor Project
The UK is fortifying its space defenses with a new project aiming to develop advanced sensors capable of identifying and characterizing laser threats to satellites. This initiative, led jointly by UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency, has received around £500,000 in funding.
The project aims to counter multiple risks posed by lasers to orbital infrastructure, such as blinding sensors, disrupting communications, or gathering targeting data. Major General Paul Tedman, Commander of UK Space Command, emphasized the need for such investment to protect UK satellites and maintain operational advantage. Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the crucial role of satellites in UK prosperity, security, and defense.
Satellites underpin numerous services vital to daily life, including communication networks, financial transactions, weather forecasting, navigation, and emergency coordination, as well as defense operations. Nearly a fifth of the UK's GDP depends on these services, making their protection a national priority. The initiative follows the Strategic Defence Review, which identified space as a key warfighting domain and emphasized the need to safeguard space-based infrastructure.
The new sensors, once developed, will provide operators with the ability to assess laser threats, offering vital intelligence to defend UK and allied space systems. Harshbir Sangha, Director of Missions and Capabilities at the UK Space Agency, underscored the importance of protecting the UK's satellite infrastructure for both national security and everyday life.
