Space is becoming increasingly critical to national security and economic prosperity, with adversaries – even those with limited space capabilities –responding to the domain’s significance with increasing aggression and agility.
The significance of the Space domain has developed into a reliance for UK society over the last 20 years or so, this is exemplified by the number of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations in service now or being deployed, and the government’s growing number of partnerships with those innovators.
And yet, to this point - somewhat understandably - the main concern around this growing presence in space, has been security – how best to protect assets that are now so vital to areas of reconnaissance, meteorology, communications, navigation, intelligence and much more?
Against this backdrop, there is an additional sticking point as a result of the LEO constellation proliferation… that being, how much ‘space’ is actually in space?
In 2015, there were roughly 4,000 satellites in orbit, of which fewer than 1,500 were operational, and only 300 were launched that year. In 2026, 10 satellites a day are being launched, meaning more new orbital assets per month than was achieved in the entire history of Space exploration only a decade previously.
“It’s been something of a wild west to this point,” explains Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK. “Whoever gets to there first, claims that particular orbit. And the LEO shell is becoming denser and denser. People presume that space is big, but what they’re thinking of is the wider solar system or universe. Our near Earth orbits are becoming congested, with 1000’s of satellites travelling at 11 kilometres per second, depending on orbit height.
People presume that space is big, but what they’re thinking of is the wider solar system or universe. Our near Earth orbits are becoming congested, with 1000’s of satellites travelling at 11 kilometres per second, depending on orbit height.Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK
“A such orbital velocities, we wouldn’t always see a collision or explosion coming, necessarily unless accurate Space Situational Awareness is available. We need to evolve the way we monitor this situation while removing the dangerous debris orbits that exist in these orbits.”
Nick was joined by Markos Trichas, Account Director, National Security – Space, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, to discuss the best way forward in this regard; starting, aptly, with enhanced collaboration.
On a joint mission
“In order for the UK’s approach to space sustainability, safety and security to evolve, there needs to be more of an international effort,” Nick affirms.
The need for a space equivalent to the International Civil Aviation Organisation or International Maritime Organisation is clear in Nick’s mind, and he believes the UK has an opportunity to lead this charge alongside the US, given the respective insurance and financial might particularly in London.
“It’s all about managing that wild west in a co-ordinated way,” he continues.
As has been the case with much of the space domain evolution so far, though, this level of collaboration is just as likely to be sparked by private entities, as it is national alliances. Case in point being the collaboration between BAE Systems and Astroscale UK.
In order for the UK’s approach to space sustainability, safety and security to evolve, there needs to be more of an international effort.Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK
Nick says: “We each have different benefits and skills. BAE Systems has the scale and significant capability in the defence and space arena, while Astroscale has novel and flight tested Rendezvous Proximity Operations (RPO) and in orbit servicing capabilities that are quite unique.”
Markos adds: “Here we see a merging of BAE Systems’ defence capabilities, with those of a space native (Astroscale). We can meet in the middle of a Venn diagram that also brings in circles of UK sovereignty and partnerships with government. All this directly benefits UK taxpayers too. The right collaboration can quickly bring all relevant elements together for sustainable cost-effective progress.
“BAE Systems has broad capabilities spanning space and defence which ensures the scale required to make significant, sustainable change. What we then benefit from, through collaborations with companies like Astroscale, are those niche capabilities that integrate into our shared missions.”
The debris difficulty
Nick explains the space debris issue in more detail: “The latest European Space Agency (ESA) Annual Space Environment report explains that the extent of space objects is going to increase for the next 100 years even if there are no further launches until it starts to gradually decrease as debris objects re-enter and burn up in the atmosphere."
So, what can be done to ensure sustainability of these satellites in such a congested space?
Astroscale specialises in in orbit servicing including active debris removal, acknowledging that what goes up must come down. The aim is to accelerate the deorbit process, removing the most dangerous objects in the process. Case in point alongside colleagues in Japan is the upcoming mission to remove a 3.5 tonne H2A rocket body which remained in orbit post-break up.
“This will happen in a few years’ time and requires a huge amount of preparation, planning and information gathering,” Nick continues. “You can’t find all of that out from the ground and it requires intense collaboration and no small amount of innovation when it comes to data and robotics, in order to analyse the situation of a specific object in space.”
Markos adds: “It all comes down to standards of manufacturing, and who is driving those standards. Here we have the European Space Agency that has a zero debris initiative which more than 100 companies have signed up to, but that’s not to say that other nations have to follow those standards.”
Space’s final frontier
Evidence of all these critical collaborative partners coming together, to make a positive impact, is IRUS, the In-Orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service. IRUS is an ESA-driven contract won by Astroscale UK, now underway alongside BAE Systems as an industrial partner. IRUS is targeted at extending satellite lifespans through refurbishment or specified components that are time limited (such on board computers, batteries, or solar panels), ultimately reducing space debris.
Using capabilities like RPO to refurbish or repair satellites already in space whilst simultaneously encouraging new design and manufacturing processes are core elements of the project.
“It reflects the fact that over the next 30-50 years we’ll be seeing the growth of the ‘orbit economy’ - more people, more satellites, more constellations - forcing a need to adapt the way we work in space,” Nick says. “We’re in the foothills now of trying to create something that can enable refurbishment of satellites post-launch, so that we don't need to try to find a way to bring them back down or make drastic efforts to move them out of harm’s way if congestion leads to collision.
For me, it’s the next frontier of our foray into space – creating the in-orbit servicing ecosystem.Nick Shave, Managing Director of Astroscale UK
“For me, it’s the next frontier of our foray into space – creating the in-orbit servicing ecosystem. Currently, we just leave objects in orbit. Can you imagine any other industry being managed like that, especially in an era of such stringent sustainability?
“The IRUS programme can put fundamental building blocks in place to enable much greater lifecycle management of what we’re launching into this our congested orbits.”
Drawing parallels with the sustainable mission on earth
Further programmes such as IRUS are needed to demonstrate a more collaborative, deliberate, innovation- and sustainability-driven approach to LEO occupation.
This means more investments, more initiatives, more contracts and perhaps a greater focus on a UK national space programme that could dovetail seamlessly with ESA’s efforts, while igniting similar companies to Astroscale further down the line. Pivoting key skills to the space race is critical, while – more generally – the snowball effect that would come from a greater UK presence in the space game would also create more commercial opportunities and more established regulations to take the industry to the next level.
“I really want to see the UK succeed in this sector, as it’s such an exciting feeling to wake up each morning and to see the potential that’s there from a capability, commercial and innovation perspective,” Markos affirms.
Nick concludes: “Astroscale was born from an altruistic view that we can make a difference and solve one of the biggest problems in terms of sustainability in space. It draws an interesting parallel to the environment we’re trying to protect here on earth, and it gives me such a lot of excitement to work with teams setting off on this great mission.”