Country dossier · GBR

United Kingdom

Advanced space-faring nation

A sourced snapshot of United Kingdom's posture in space — capability, institutions, orbital assets, law and people. Every figure carries its primary source; gaps are shown honestly, never filled with invented data.

Open United Kingdom in the interactive workspace →

Capability tier

Advanced space-faring nation

Launches to orbit from its own territory: noLaunch sites on record: 4Nationals who have flown: 9

Source: ALL IN SPACE capability ladder · see methodology

Space agency

UK Space Agency (UKSA)

National space agency · established 2010 · two-source verified

Source: UNOOSA · Worldwide Space Agencies directory

Satellites (owner state)

741

Counted from the GCAT May 2026 snapshot. The interactive workspace shows a live CelesTrak figure, which uses different owner-attribution rules and will differ.

Source: GCAT · General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell) · May 2026 snapshot

Ground stations

24

Source: ALL IN SPACE curated ground-station dataset (operator-sourced)

Space budget

$1.5B

Developing spender · 2026 · UK Space Agency

Source: UK Space Agency

National strategy

National Space Strategy in Action (2023)

Implementation roadmap for the 2021 National Space Strategy moving from Ignition to Thrust phase

Source: Published national space strategies and policies

International space law

InstrumentStatus
Outer Space Treaty 1967Ratified
Rescue Agreement 1968Ratified
Liability Convention 1972Ratified
Registration Convention 1975Ratified
Moon Agreement 1979Not a party
Artemis Accords 2020Signatory (2020-10-13)

Source: Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space (1 January 2026)

Launch sites

  • SaxaVord SpaceportSaxaVord Spaceport Ltd · Unst, Shetland Islands · orbital planned
  • Sutherland SpaceportOrbex with Highlands and Islands Enterprise · A'Mhoine, Sutherland, Highland · orbital (under development)
  • Spaceport CornwallCornwall Council with Cornwall Airport Newquay · Newquay, Cornwall · horizontal air-launch · since 2023
  • Prestwick SpaceportPrestwick Airport / Glasgow Prestwick Spaceport consortium · Prestwick, South Ayrshire · horizontal air-launch (planned)

Source: National launch site roster · ALL IN SPACE compilation

Astronauts

  • Helen SharmanProject Juno / Soviet space program · first flight 1991 · First Briton in space
  • Piers SellersNASA · first flight 2002 · British-American
  • Nicholas PatrickNASA · first flight 2006 · British-American
  • Gregory JohnsonNASA · first flight 2008 · British-American
  • Richard GarriottSpace Adventures · first flight 2008 · British-American space tourist; son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott
  • Tim PeakeESA · first flight 2015 · First ESA-funded Briton in space
  • Meganne ChristianESA · first flight 2022 · ESA reserve astronaut (2022); British-Italian-Australian
  • John McFallESA · first flight 2022 · ESA Para-astronaut (2022); first astronaut with a physical disability
  • Rosemary CooganESA · first flight 2022 · ESA career astronaut (2022); not yet flown

Source: Astronaut biographies

Milestones

  • 1991First national in space
  • 2010UK Space Agency (UKSA) established
  • 2023First orbital launch from national soil

Notable missions and contributions

  • Beagle 2 Mars lander
  • JWST NIRSpec instrument
  • OneWeb satellite constellation
  • SaxaVord Spaceport development
  • RFA ONE orbital launch campaign from SaxaVord Spaceport — Rocket Factory Augsburg received the UK's (and Europe's) first vertical Spaceflight Launch Operator Licence for a privately developed orbital rocket from the Civil Aviation Authority on 14 January 2025; the first orbital launch of the RFA ONE from SaxaVord (Unst, Shetland) is targeted for summer 2026 after both stages arrived at the spaceport in March 2026 (status: licensed, pre-launch).
  • Skyrora UK launch licence (August 2025) — Skyrora became the first British company to be granted a vertical launch operator licence by the Civil Aviation Authority, cleared to launch and operate its suborbital Skylark L vehicle from SaxaVord Spaceport (up to 16 launches per year); first flight expected from 2026 (status: licensed, pre-launch).