UK planning cyber ‘target' satellite to test vulnerabilities

The United Kingdom is planning a dedicated satellite that would serve as a controlled cyber target for testing the resilience of space systems. Operators could use the spacecraft to practice detecting intrusion, isolating compromised functions and restoring services without risking an operational communications or surveillance asset, improving realism beyond ground-only exercises. The project remains in planning, so mission design, launch date, contractor roles and budget are not final; its importance lies in creating a repeatable orbital environment for validating defensive tools, procedures and personnel against vulnerabilities that increasingly affect military space operations.