Image: UK Defence Journal
By George Allison,
Published by UK Defence Journal, 6 October 2025
The UK is investing in new sensor technology designed to detect and counter laser threats to satellites, protecting assets vital to the economy, national security, and military operations.
According to a Ministry of Defence press release, the project will develop systems capable of identifying and characterising lasers from space or ground-based sources that could be used to track, dazzle, or disrupt satellites.
The initiative is being led jointly by UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency, with around £500,000 in funding under the UKSA’s Unlocking Space for Government programme.
Lasers pose multiple risks to orbital infrastructure, including the ability to blind sensors, interfere with communications, or gather targeting data. The MoD stated that the new sensors will give operators the ability to determine whether a laser poses a threat, providing vital intelligence to defend UK and allied space systems.
Nearly a fifth of the UK’s GDP depends on satellite services that underpin communication networks, financial transactions, weather forecasting, navigation, and emergency coordination. They also play a central role in defence, enabling intelligence gathering, surveillance, and secure command and control.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said:
“Space is a hugely important and contested frontline and satellites play a vital role in UK prosperity and security. They are crucial to our everyday lives and provide a critical capability for our Armed Forces. It is essential they are protected.”
Pollard added that the investment “shows our commitment to defend British assets in orbit – which protect us on the ground, in the air and at sea. This supports our national security, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.”
Major General Paul Tedman, Commander of UK Space Command, said:
“The Strategic Defence 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 defence.”
He noted that as adversaries deploy increasingly sophisticated counterspace systems, the UK must “invest in new and innovative edge technology” to protect its satellites and maintain operational advantage.
Harshbir Sangha, Director of Missions and Capabilities at the UK Space Agency, said:
“Protecting the UK’s satellite infrastructure is vital to our national security, economy and daily life. This joint project with UK Space Command marks an important step in developing the tools we need to detect and respond to emerging threats in space.”
The investment follows the Strategic Defence Review, which identified space as a key warfighting domain and highlighted the need to safeguard space-based infrastructure.
See: Original Article
