How we protected the UK and space in February 2026
This report was issued in March 2026 and covers the time period 1 February 2026 to 28 February 2026 inclusive.
February saw sustained levels of space activity, with higher levels of uncontrolled re-entries but lower levels of collision alerts and space weather activity than in January.
All NSpOC warning and protection services were functioning throughout the period.
Re-entry analysis
February saw an increase in the number of objects re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, monitored by NSpOC, when compared with the previous month.
Of the 66 objects that re-entered, 59 were satellites, 6 were rocket bodies and one was likely a piece of debris.
March: 85, April: 92, May: 64, June: 55, July: 52, August: 34, September: 39, October: 54, November: 43, December: 52, January: 50, February: 66
Collision avoidance analysis
Collision risks to UK-licensed satellites were lower in February than in January.
March: 2,588, April: 2,620, May: 1,546, June: 1,259, July: 1,038, August: 971, September: 1,537, October: 2,402, November: 2,472, December: 2,643, January: 2,608, February: 2,117
Registered Space Objects (RSOs) analysis
The in-orbit population increased in February, with a net addition of 244 objects to the US Satellite Catalogue.
March: 30,183, April: 30,311, May: 30,560, June: 30,885, July: 31,093, August: 31,347, September, 31,636, October: 31,928, November: 32,306, December: 32,694, January: 32,921, February: 33,165
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
There have been no new fragmentation (break-up) incidents this month.
Space weather analysis
A reduction in space weather activity was observed during the month of February, with some geomagnetic storms and solar flares registered throughout the month.
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.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/how-we-protected-the-uk-and-space-in-february-2026
