How we protected the UK and space in April 2026
This report was issued in May 2026 and covers the time period 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026 inclusive.
The National Space Operations Centre is led by the UK Space Agency and UK Space Command in partnership with the Met Office.
April saw generally sustained levels of space activity, with similar levels of uncontrolled re-entries and space weather activity but fewer collision alerts when compared with March.
All NSpOC warning and protection services were functioning throughout the period.
Re-entry analysis
There was a 6% decrease in the number of objects re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, monitored by NSpOC, when compared with the previous month.
Of the 68 objects that re-entered, 56 were satellites, nine were rocket bodies and three were likely pieces of debris.
May: 64, June: 55, July: 52, August: 34, September: 39, October: 54, November: 43, December: 52, January: 50, February: 66, March: 72, April: 68
Collision avoidance analysis
Collision risks to UK-licensed satellites were 35% lower in April than in March but remained broadly aligned to the 12-month rolling average.
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, March: 1,847, April: 1,194
Registered Space Objects (RSOs) analysis
The in-orbit population increased in April, with a net addition of 223 objects to the US Satellite Catalogue.
May: 30,538, June: 30,862, July: 31,070, August: 31,324, September, 31,612, October: 31,905, November: 32,289, December: 32,678, January: 32,905, February: 33,143, March: 33,528, April: 33,756
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
Space weather activity was similar in April when compared with the previous month, with 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.