RAF chief: Britain’s security is at risk from threats in space

SPACED-BASED threats offer an “acute and increasing risk” to Britain’s security, the head of the RAF has warned.

Potential adversaries recognise our reliance on space and “dependency creates vulnerabilities”, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier said.

Countering such threats has “hitherto not been one of our highest priorities”, he admitted.

Speaking at the Defence Space conference, the chief of the air staff said that space had previously been viewed as a “free good” with no real risk.

As satellite technology has revolutionised every aspect of human endeavour, he warned Britain’s enemies could exploit such reliance.

Will Jessett, the director for strategic planning at the Ministry of Defence, said Britain’s enemies were developing “counter-space capabilities to destroy, disrupt and degrade” satellite systems. Sir Stephen called for Britain to develop sovereign launch capabilities.

The “tumbling cost of space launch” reduced the cost and risk of relying on other countries, such as Kazakhstan, he said. “There are clear commercial and military advantages in such a strategy,” he suggested.

A spokesman for the UK Space Agency said Prestwick or Newquay could be used for “horizontal launch”, whereby the space payload is carried to great height prior to launch into orbit.

Traditional vertical launch sites would likely be based in northern Scotland to remove the risk to the public, regardless of the threat posed by a second Scottish referendum.

“If it was commercially viable to launch from Scotland, even if it was an independent country, the investment would flow,” said Alistair Scott of the British Interplanetary Society.