MOD: an act of hostility will take place in space ‘within two years’

A HOSTILE act is likely to occur in space in the next two years, the MOD has said, as calls grow for countries to agree new operating rules.

The head of the Mod’s strategic policy department has warned that an act of aggression in space will test the limits of what the international community deems a hostile act. Speaking at the Defence Space conference, Angus Lapsley said: “Space is one of those areas where I think a new era of great power competition is going to be felt most keenly.” He said the lack of common rules governing access to and activity in space meant it was ripe for “misbehaviour [from states] trying to mess with us”.

“I don’t think yet … we all understand what it means to behave in a certain way in space. There will probably be an incident at some point in the next couple of years … where our publics and parliament will have a kind of eureka moment, when they see that actually competition in space can have real-world impacts on civilian infrastructure and civilian life.”

Defence chiefs worry that the military and civilian use of space is much less clearly defined than other domains, such as land or sea. They warn that everyday life in the UK is utterly dependent on space-based systems and it is not just military capabilities that are threatened by irresponsible behaviour in space.

The Chief of the Air Staff has warned that Russia and China “threaten the peaceful use of space”.

Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston said one Russian satellite had been in geostationary orbit for several years, frequently approaching other nations’ military and commercial satellites.

Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly voted in favour of a UK resolution to introduce rules and principles of responsible behavi our in s pace, a move opposed by Russia.

Mr Lapsley said i t was important to “build understanding among coalition partners about how we would interpret particular actions by adversaries in space”. ♦china is set to launch an unmanned spacecraft this week, which will land on the surface of the Moon and search for lunar rocks. If the mission is successful, China will be the third nation after the United States and the former Soviet Union to bring back samples of the Moon.