Aircraft
Aviators Warned: Don’t Take Space For Granted
The space business is vibrant, but threats are growing, conference hears.
The UK’s first Defence Space conference was well-supported, including presentations from British ministers and senior officers, as well as many commercial companies. (Photo: Chris Pocock)
The UK’s first Defence Space conference was well-supported, including presentations from British ministers and senior officers, as well as many commercial companies. (Photo: Chris Pocock)

The almost-total reliance of commercial and military aviation on space-based assets for communications, data transfer, navigation, and timing should no longer be taken for granted, delegates to a new conference in London were told. The two-day Defence Space 2018 event was prompted by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). It heard about potential cyber-disruption of datalinks from hostile state and non-state actors; of the increasing likelihood of satellites colliding with each other or with orbiting debris; and that the fast-developing capability for satellites to rendezvous with other satellites for replenishment purposes, also provides the potential to physically destroy or disrupt a satellite’s function.