United Kingdom FactbookDraft
November 2026 Edition
United Kingdom Factbook · National chapter / GBR
Space
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2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.
Last updated: November 5, 2026
Sections in Space
Space
Space agency/agencies:167
UK Space Agency (UKSA; established in 2010) (2025)¶
note 1:the UKSA replaced the British National Space Center (BNSC; established in 1985); in 2025, the UK Government announced that the UKSA would be absorbed into the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) as of April 2026¶
note 2:in 2021, the British formed the joint service UK Space Command under the Ministry of Defense for military space operations, space workforce, and space capabilities¶
Space launch site(s):168
Spaceport 1 (Outer Hebrides, Scotland); Spaceport Machrihanish (Argyll, Scotland); Glasgow Prestwick (South Ayrshire, Scotland); Spaceport Snowdonia (Gwynedd, Wales); SaxaVord UK Spaceport (Unst, Shetland Islands); Sutherland Spaceport (Sutherland, Scotland); Sutherland, Scotland (Cornwall Airport Newquay, Cornwall) (2024)¶
Space program overview:169
has a long-standing, comprehensive national space program; is active across all areas of the space sector except human space flight, including satellite launch vehicles (SLVs)/rockets, probes, satellites, and spaceports; is a founding member of the ESA and is deeply involved in ESA programs; has bilateral relations with many ESA members and is a close partner of the US NASA; since 2016 has forged over 350 relationships with international organizations across nearly 50 countries; participates in international programs such as the International Space Station and the James Webb Space Telescope; has a large commercial space sector; the UK has a space industrial plan, and the UK Space Agency has provided funding for commercial space projects (2025)¶
note:the UK was part of several EU-sponsored space programs until departing the EU in 2020, including the Galileo global positioning system and the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) project; it remained part of the Copernicus Earth observation and Horizon Europe research and innovation programs after 2020; the UK has participated or continues to participate in multiple ESA programs, including Cassini-Huygens research mission to Saturn, the Mars Express space exploration missions, the Rosetta comet probe, and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission¶
Key space-program milestones:170
1957 - first suborbital sounding rocket (Skylark) launched¶
1960s - first satellite (Ariel) launched by US; development of Black Arrow satellite launch vehicle (SLV); launched first of Skynet family of communications satellites¶
1971 - first successful placement of satellite (Prospero) in orbit on a 3-stage Black Arrow SLV (Black Arrow SLV program ended in early 1970s)¶
1973 - began participating in development of Ariane SLV along with other European states, particularly France and Germany¶
1991 - first British astronaut into space to Russian Mir space station¶
2015 - first British astronaut on International Space Station¶
2019-2020 - began participating in US Gateway lunar orbital station program and signed US-led Artemis Accords for space and lunar exploration¶
2024 - first military remote sensing satellite (Tyche) launched by US¶
Notes & sources
- Space agency/agencies. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 13:07:35 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Space launch site(s). Reference edition; observation: 2024. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 13:07:35 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Space program overview. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 13:07:35 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Key space-program milestones. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 13:07:35 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩