Another Giant Leap: 50 Years of UK Military Satcom

The story of human exploration of space tends to capture the imagination but there has been a distinct lack of study into the Royal Air Force’s own history of space operations. This article reflects upon another ‘giant leap’ that occurred shortly after the 1969 moon landings, when UK Defence took its initial steps into space operations, with the launch of the first of a series of Skynet communications satellites. The article introduces the principles of satellite communications, recounts the history of Skynet and highlights the operational importance of satellite communications throughout half of the RAF’s first century of history. It concludes with a look forward into what the future might look like for the next generation of satellite communications and the RAF’s broader role in space.