Norwegian-British Cooperation on Space Traffic Monitoring

The new agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed by Paul Bates, Chief Executive Officer of the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), and Christian Hauglie-Hanssen, Director General of the Norwegian Space Agency. It took place on April 10, 2025, during the international space conference Space Symposium, held in Colorado Springs, USA, from April 7 to 10, 2025.

"The United Kingdom is a major and important player in the European space sector. For the Norwegian Space Agency, it is important to pursue bilateral cooperation in areas where we have particular interests, and where our participation in ESA and the EU’s space programs does not provide sufficient coverage or involvement," said Hauglie-Hanssen.

Understanding space traffic

Monitoring activities in space is a rapidly developing field, due to the rapid increase in the number of satellites, more complex space operations, and growing attention to the importance of space weather. This creates a need for observation, monitoring, understanding of space traffic, and the ability to maneuver one’s own satellites. Future launches from Andøya will also require robust capacity in this area.

"The Norwegian Space Agency has bilateral agreements with several other countries' space authorities, and we are committed to ensuring that these agreements are based on real opportunities for cooperation. The new agreement with UKSA establishes the framework for concrete collaboration with a strategically important partner for Norway in the space sector," Hauglie-Hanssen emphasized.

The agreement facilitates data and knowledge sharing between UKSA and the Norwegian Space Agency to establish a comprehensive understanding of the situation in space, with the aim of protecting each country’s satellites.

"To best monitor space traffic and what happens in orbit, we need sensors located in multiple places around the world. Therefore, space traffic monitoring is international," said Yngvild Linnea Andalsvik, Head of Space Surveillance at the Norwegian Space Agency.

Increased traffic

As more satellites, both large and small, are launched, space traffic increases.

"The orbits around Earth are an environment that is becoming increasingly challenging to maneuver and operate in," noted Andalsvik.

Thus, the need for a precise overview of all orbital activities is growing, especially for Norwegian national satellites, such as the NorSat satellites and AISSat satellites.

In Norway, the Norwegian Space Agency holds civilian responsibility for monitoring space traffic.

"Similarly, UKSA holds the civilian responsibility for space traffic monitoring in the United Kingdom," said Andalsvik.

In Britain, space traffic monitoring is conducted by a joint civilian and military national space operations center called the National Space Operations Centre, headquartered at RAF Fylingdales military base in Yorkshire, Northern England. They monitor not only space traffic but also space debris and space weather, under the broader field known as Space Domain Awareness.

"It is very interesting for the Norwegian Space Agency to see how UKSA and the United Kingdom have organized their space traffic monitoring and to learn from their experiences," said Andalsvik.

Long history of collaboration

The Norwegian Space Agency and UKSA have long collaborated in sharing satellite traffic data.

"The new cooperation agreement fits well into the further development of the Norwegian Space Agency’s role in space traffic monitoring and will contribute to responsible and safe operations in space," said Andalsvik.

The cooperation agreement with UKSA also opens opportunities for joint projects in the monitoring of space traffic, space debris, and space weather.

"For example, the United Kingdom will contribute during the re-entry of the Norwegian satellite NorSat-TD, which will happen later this spring," said Andalsvik.

Additionally, the new agreement allows for the exchange of experiences related to incident warnings in space and civilian-military cooperation in this area. Both Norway and the United Kingdom are members of the European Space Agency (ESA) and thus also participate in ESA’s space surveillance program.