Space Security Programme
Our research analyses UK and international space policy, the military aspects of space power, and what the future of space conflict will look like.
In recent decades, the space sector has opened up to a new and diverse set of actors: whereas previously the domain was the preserve of states with large budgets, space is increasingly being populated by the private sector. Everyday lives increasingly depend on space, and military reliance on space assets has grown as well. This reliance has in turn rendered satellites targets themselves.
Understanding the impact such developments have on defence and space policy – both in the UK and internationally – and how militaries are responding is essential to assessing the intentions of states and imagining what conflict =through and with space entails. Our research areas cover UK, allied and adversarial space policy; space warfare; counterspace capabilities; space domain awareness; and space in disarmament and arms control.
This includes questions such as: how is space already influencing conflicts here on Earth, and how will it continue to shape war in the future? Where does space fit into the defence architecture? How can national policy make the most of the domain, and how can international governance ensure that space continues to be open to everyone?
RUSI’s space programme leverages the wider experience of our staff and Associate Fellows and fosters a growing network of experts from diverse professional backgrounds.
