Space activity affecting the UK remained elevated in November 2025, with a rise in collision warnings for UK-licensed satellites despite a fall in the number of objects re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, according to a new government report.
The monthly update, published by the National Space Operations Centre alongside the UK Space Agency, Ministry of Defence and Met Office, covers activity between 1 and 30 November. It shows that all UK space warning and protection services operated normally throughout the period.
Re-entry events fell by 20% compared with October. A total of 43 objects were tracked re-entering Earth’s atmosphere during November, down from 54 the previous month. Of these, 34 were satellites and nine were rocket bodies. The data continues a broader downward trend seen since the start of the year, when monthly re-entries exceeded 100.
By contrast, collision risks increased slightly. The number of close-approach events involving UK-licensed satellites rose by 3% compared with October, with 2,472 potential collision events recorded over the previous 30 days. The increase was attributed to a higher rate of interactions between UK satellites and other spacecraft or debris.
The overall population of objects in orbit also continued to grow. The number of registered space objects tracked in the US Satellite Catalogue increased by a net 246 during November, bringing the total to 32,177. Officials noted that these figures can be subject to small revisions as tracking methods improve.
No new fragmentation or break-up incidents were recorded during the month, avoiding the sudden creation of additional debris.
Space weather conditions were more active than in October, with geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms and solar flares all recorded during November. Elevated space weather can pose risks to satellites and communications systems, adding to the operational challenges faced by space operators.
Hadn’t really thought about it before but what technologies do they use to track these events. Is this somewhat independent or totally reliant on US assets.