UK Space Command and US Space Command have conducted the first UK-US joint military operation in space, moving two satellites close together, at an altitude of nearly 36,000 kilometres above the Earth.
From 4-12 September 2025, a satellite operated by US Space Command was used to check whether SKYNET 5A, a UK military communications satellite, was operating in orbit as intended.
This type of operation, called a ‘Rendezvous Proximity Operation’, involves meticulous and careful planning, with both satellites travelling at around 11,000 kilometres per hour, or about three kilometres per second.
This operation was delivered under ‘Multinational Force – Operation Olympic Defender’, a US-led space coalition, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and New Zealand, alongside the UK and the USA.
“This operation was a first of its kind for UK Space Command and represents a significant increase in operational capability. Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies in Multinational Force – Operation Olympic Defender. We are now, with our allies, conducting advanced orbital operations to protect and defend our shared national and military interests in space.”
Major General Paul Tedman, Commander of UK Space Command
“This coordinated maneuver between two allies validated the interoperability that’s foundational to our collective defense. The confirmation of the MNF’s combined military might on-orbit delivers a credible deterrent in the increasingly contested space domain.”
Lieutenant General Douglas Schiess, Commander of US Space Forces – Space and Combined Joint Force Component Command
Both the US satellite and SKYNET 5A operate in orbit around the planet in ‘geostationary orbit’. This is a precise orbit, 35,786 kilometres above the Earth’s equator. Operating at this specific altitude allows satellites to remain directly above a particular location on the Earth.
Geostationary orbit is often used for communications satellites, so that satellite dishes on Earth can be pointed permanently towards them at a fixed location in the sky. The UK’s first SKYNET communications satellite, SKYNET 1A, was launched in 1969.
The UK and the US are historic allies, and now this alliance extends into space. This operation was delivered shortly before Battle of Britain Day, which is observed annually to commemorate the defence of the UK’s skies in 1940. A memorial plaque was presented to the US Air Force this week, at the US Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, to honour ten American citizens who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.