How we protected the UK and space in July 2026
This report was issued in August 2026 and covers the time period 1 July 2026 to 31 July 2026 inclusive.
The National Space Operations Centre is led by the UK Space Agency and UK Space Command in partnership with the Met Office.
July consistent saw a consistent risk level to UK interests, with higher levels of uncontrolled re-entries, fragmentations and space weather activity but fewer collision alerts when compared with June.
All NSpOC warning and protection services were functioning throughout the period.
Re-entry analysis
There was a 17% increase in the number of objects re-entering Earth’s atmosphere monitored by NSpOC in July, when compared with the previous month.
Of the 62 objects that re-entered, 59 were satellites, two were rocket bodies and one was likely a piece of debris.
August: 34, September: 39, October: 54, November: 43, December: 52, January: 50, February: 66, March: 72, April: 68, May: 48, June: 53, July: 62
Collision avoidance analysis
Collision risks to UK-licensed satellites were 16% lower in July than in June and sat below the 12-month rolling average.
August: 971, September: 1,537, October: 2,402, November: 2,472, December: 2,643, January: 2,608, February: 2,117, March: 1,847, April: 1,194, May: 1,285, June: 1,436, July: 1,209
Registered Space Objects (RSOs) analysis
The in-orbit population increased in July, with a net addition of 322 objects to the US Satellite Catalogue.
August: 31,389, September, 31,677, October: 31,968, November: 32,351, December: 32,739, January: 32,965, February: 33,205, March: 33,593, April: 33,873, May: 34,138, June: 34,429, July: 34,751
The number of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) reported may be subject to small adjustments over time as the way objects are tracked is refined. Figures in this report reflect the most current available data and may differ slightly from those published in previous months.
Fragmentation analysis
Two fragmentation incidents took place in July involving payloads in Lower Earth and Graveyard orbits. Assessments are ongoing to understand how many pieces of debris were released into orbit.
Space weather analysis
Space weather activity was higher in July when compared with the previous month, predominantly consisting of solar flares and geomagnetic storms.
Comments
The National Space Operations Centre combines and coordinates UK civil and military space domain awareness capabilities to enable operations, promote prosperity and protect UK interests in space and on Earth from space-related threats, risks and hazards.