Weaponisation of Space

Senior officials from the UK Space Agency held over 130 meetings with the Ministry of Defence in 2024, prompting renewed concerns about the “weaponisation” of space. The meetings discussed the spaceport being built at SaxaVord on Shetland, using nuclear reactors in space and collaboration with the US, NATO and arms companies. Two members of the agency’s advisory board also work for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The subject of one meeting was kept secret because it was about a project that was “highly confidential and not in the public domain”. Releasing its title risked “compromising our nation’s security”, said the agency. The meetings, revealed in response to a freedom of information request, have been criticised by campaigners. Though Scotland’s bid to build spaceports is marketed as scientific research, it is driven by the defence industry, they say.