With the publication of the Defence Space Strategy (DSS) in early February, after many months of delays, the UK has attempted to add more substance to the often-ephemeral ambitions of the country in a domain that will be the keystone for defence in the decades ahead. To this end, the DSS has promised a series of investments totalling ￡1.4bn, which would be committed to "cutting-edge" technologies to protect UK interests in space. This includes ￡968m for a new multisatellite system to support greater global surveillance and intelligence for military operations – known as the ASTARI programme – and a further ￡61m to explore laser communications technology to deliver data from space to Earth at speeds equivalent to terrestrial superfast broadband.
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