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Defence

Military space programmes, procurement and doctrine: who is building what above the atmosphere, reported from budgets and official statements.

Who has what, country by country · dated 05 Oct 2026
A GPS III satellite encapsulated in a Falcon 9 fairing at Cape Canaveral, restyled onto a dark starfield.

United States

US Space Force. Sixth armed service, stood up 20 December 2019 under the Department of the Air Force. US Space Command was re-established separately in August 2019.

Budget
$26.1bn enacted for FY2026, plus $13.8bn in mandatory reconciliation funding. The FY2027 request is $71.1bn, driven largely by the Golden Dome missile-defence initiative.
Doctrine
General Stephen Whiting told the House Armed Services Committee in March 2026 that the command must "maintain the capacity to establish space superiority at a time and place of our choosing to defend American interests in space".
  • verifiedSBIRS Missile-launch detection from geostationary and highly elliptical orbits. 6 satellites
  • announcedNext-Generation OPIR Replacement missile-warning constellation. none on orbit; first launch slipped to 2026
  • verifiedAEHF Protected, jam-resistant strategic communications. 6 satellites
  • verifiedWGS High-capacity wideband military communications. 10 satellites
  • verifiedGPS III and IIIF Navigation and timing with the encrypted M-code military signal. 32-satellite constellation, block completed April 2026
  • verifiedGSSAP Manoeuvrable inspection satellites watching the geostationary belt. 8 launched to date
  • announcedGolden Dome Homeland missile-defence architecture with space-based sensors and interceptors. nothing deployed

Space Force FY2027 budget request · Final GPS III satellite delivered to orbit · Image: US Space Force/Gwendolyn Kurzen, restyled

A Long March 3B lifting off from Xichang, the launcher used for BeiDou navigation satellites, restyled onto a dark starfield.

China

PLA Aerospace Force. Stood up 19 April 2024 when the Strategic Support Force was dissolved and its space arm was elevated to a standalone service reporting to the Central Military Commission.

Budget
China’s 2026 national defence budget is 1.94 trillion yuan ($289.35bn), up 6.9%. Central-government defence spending is 1.91 trillion yuan, up 7%. These are whole-defence figures. Dollar equivalents use the ECB’s 2 October 2026 reference rates.
Doctrine
The 2019 defence white paper calls outer space "a critical domain in international strategic competition" and commits China to safeguarding its security interests there.
  • assessedBeiDou (BDS-3) Satellite navigation with an encrypted military signal. 30-satellite design completed in 2020; no official operational total is published, and the Russian-Chinese GNSS committee's monitoring centre listed 38 BeiDou satellites on 21 August 2026, 37 of them in operational use
  • assessedYaogan and related series Imaging satellites, described by China as civil survey and disaster-monitoring craft. the commander of US Space Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2026 that China operates more than 500 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites supporting PLA targeting; China publishes no such figure
  • verifiedShijian-21 and Shijian-25 Geostationary craft that have performed rendezvous, docking and refuelling; SJ-21 towed a defunct satellite to a graveyard orbit in 2022. 2 satellites
  • verifiedDirect-ascent ASAT Kinetic interceptor that destroyed China's own Fengyun-1C weather satellite at 863km. one test, 11 January 2007
  • speculationGround lasers, jammers, co-orbital systems Referenced generically in US testimony without a named system. no specific system officially documented

China's National Defense in the New Era, State Council · China's 2025 defence budget, State Council · General Stephen Whiting, US Space Command posture statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, 26 March 2026 · BeiDou constellation status, Information and Analysis Center for Positioning, Navigation and Timing, Russia · Current budget source · ECB reference exchange rates · Image: AAxanderr, Wikimedia, public domain, restyled. Generic Long March 3B launch, payload unidentified.

A Soyuz-2 lifting off from Plesetsk, Russia's military spaceport, restyled onto a dark starfield.

Russia

Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). Formed 1 August 2015 by merging the air force and aerospace defence forces; the Space Forces branch runs satellites, launch and space surveillance.

Budget
No separate space figure is published. The 2025 national defence line was 13.49 trillion roubles, and analysts note that classified sections understate the real total.
Doctrine
The 2014 military doctrine commits Russia to "the deployment and maintenance in the strategic space area of orbital groupings of space vehicles to support military operations".
  • verifiedGLONASS Satellite navigation with a military signal. about 24 operational against a 24-satellite design
  • assessedEKS / Tundra Early warning of ballistic missile launches from highly elliptical orbit. 4 of a planned 10, on independent analyst tracking rather than an official figure
  • verifiedPersona and Bars-M Electro-optical reconnaissance and mapping. multiple launched since 2008; no official running total
  • verifiedNudol direct-ascent ASAT Ground-launched interceptor that destroyed Cosmos 1408 at 480km, creating over 1,500 tracked debris pieces. one test, 15 November 2021
  • disputedNuclear anti-satellite weapon US Space Command describes a nuclear-armed weapon designed for orbit as the single greatest threat to the domain; President Putin has said Russia is categorically opposed to putting nuclear weapons in space. claim and denial both on the record

Russian Military Doctrine 2014, unclassified text · US Space Command on the 2021 Nudol test · Image: Russian Ministry of Defence, CC BY 4.0, restyled

Concept artwork of a military optical reconnaissance satellite in orbit, its telescope barrel pointed down at the daylight limb of Earth.

France

Commandement de l'Espace (CDE). Created 3 September 2019 under the Air and Space Force; its Toulouse headquarters was formally inaugurated by President Macron in November 2025.

Budget
The 2024-2030 military programme set a €6.4bn space baseline. In November 2025, President Macron announced an additional €4.2bn ($4.71bn) for 2026-2030. The addition is an announced allocation. Dollar equivalents use the ECB’s 2 October 2026 reference rates.
Doctrine
The 2019 space defence strategy commits France to protecting its satellites "including in an active manner", and the CDE exists to conduct France's military operations in space.
  • verifiedCSO Optical and infrared intelligence imaging. 3 satellites, the third launched March 2025
  • verifiedSyracuse IV High-throughput, threat-resistant military communications. 2 satellites
  • verifiedCERES Space-based electromagnetic and signals intelligence. 3 satellites launched together in 2021
  • verifiedGRAVES Ground-based radar tracking objects in low Earth orbit. operational since 2005, successor planned
  • announcedYODA Nanosatellite patrol demonstrators for the geostationary belt. none launched; now unlikely before 2028

French Space Command: organisation and missions · French Space Command: space capabilities · Current budget source · ECB reference exchange rates · Illustration: YFarmX, generated concept artwork of the satellite class, not the actual spacecraft

A model of the Carbonite-2 imaging demonstrator, restyled onto a dark starfield.

United Kingdom

UK Space Command. Stood up 1 April 2021 at RAF High Wycombe, tri-service and RAF-led.

Budget
£1.4bn for space over ten years on top of existing commitments, plus more than £5bn over ten years for the Skynet 6 programme.
Doctrine
The 2022 Defence Space Strategy sets the command's mission as protecting and defending UK and allied interests "in, from and to space", delivering operational independence.
  • verifiedSkynet 5 Strategic military satellite communications. 4 satellites in service
  • announcedSkynet 6A Next-generation communications with over three times Skynet 5's capacity. none in orbit; launch planned for 2027
  • verifiedCarbonite-2 Small imaging demonstrator returning near-real-time video. 1 launched, 2018
  • announcedProject Minerva (Tyche and successors) Earth observation, laser inter-satellite links and space domain awareness demonstrators. Tyche launched 2024; the rest in development
  • verifiedNational Space Operations Centre Joint civil and military space domain awareness. operational
  • verifiedCounterspace weapons None acknowledged or deployed. none

Defence Space Strategy, Ministry of Defence, February 2022 · UK Space Command officially launched, RAF · Skynet 6 programme and 2027 launch target · Image: UK MOD, Crown copyright, OGL v1.0, restyled

The GSLV rollout for the GSAT-7A military communications satellite, restyled onto a dark starfield.

India

Defence Space Agency. Tri-service agency headquartered in Bengaluru, sanctioned in 2018 and operational from November 2019.

Budget
The civil Department of Space has ₹13,705.63 crore ($1.42bn) in FY2026-27. The Ministry of Defence allocation is ₹7.85 lakh crore ($81.50bn); that covers all defence spending. Dollar equivalents use the ECB’s 2 October 2026 reference rates.
Doctrine
India's stated position on its 2019 anti-satellite test is that it was aimed at no country and conducted in low orbit to limit debris. We are still seeking the primary text of that statement.
  • verifiedGSAT-7 Rukmini and GSAT-7R Naval communications and maritime domain awareness. 2 satellites, the second launched November 2025
  • verifiedGSAT-7A Air force communications. 1 satellite, launched 2018
  • announcedGSAT-7B First dedicated army communications satellite. not yet launched
  • verifiedEMISAT Electromagnetic spectrum measurement, in ISRO's own description; a wider electronic-intelligence role is not stated by the agency. 1 satellite, 436kg, launched 1 April 2019 on PSLV-C45
  • verifiedNavIC Regional navigation with a restricted signal. 11 launched and 8 functional, of which 3 broadcast navigation signals against a 7-satellite design; four are needed for an independent fix
  • verifiedMission Shakti Direct-ascent interceptor that destroyed India's own Microsat-R at 283km. one test, 27 March 2019

Mission Shakti, Press Information Bureau · ISRO on GSAT-7 · NavIC satellite system, Lok Sabha reply, Department of Space, 25 March 2026 · GSAT-7R (CMS-03) launch, Ministry of Defence, 2 November 2025 · ISRO on the LVM3-M5 / CMS-03 mission · ISRO on EMISAT · Current budget source · ECB reference exchange rates · FY2026-27 defence budget · Image: ISRO, GODL-India, restyled

Concept artwork of a military X-band communications satellite in geostationary orbit above the night side of Earth, dish antennas pointed at the planet.

Japan

JASDF Space Operations Wing. Began as a squadron of about 20 people in May 2020 at Fuchu Air Base and expanded to a wing of around 670 in March 2026. The Air Self-Defense Force is to be renamed the Air and Space Self-Defense Force.

Budget
The Ministry of Defense’s FY2026 document lists about ¥174bn ($1.10bn) for the space domain. Its narrower figure, excluding amounts for other areas, is ¥135.2bn ($0.86bn). Dollar equivalents use the ECB’s 2 October 2026 reference rates.
Doctrine
The 2022 National Defense Strategy commits the ministry to developing ground and space-based surveillance, building a space domain awareness structure and making Japan's space assets more resilient.
  • verifiedKirameki X-band defence communications. 3 satellites, the third in service since February 2025
  • verifiedSpace surveillance radar Ground-based tracking of objects in orbit. operating since March 2025
  • announcedSDA satellite Space-based tracking to complement the ground radar. not yet launched, planned for 2026
  • verifiedInformation Gathering Satellites Optical and radar reconnaissance run by the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center rather than the air force. at least 21 launched since 2003 including replacements
  • verifiedCounterspace weapons None acknowledged or deployed. none

National Defense Strategy, Japan MOD, December 2022 · Japan MOD budget, financial year 2026 · Current budget source · ECB reference exchange rates · Illustration: YFarmX, generated concept artwork of the satellite class, not the actual spacecraft

Concept artwork of a military reconnaissance satellite in low Earth orbit, carrying a large radar panel and a folded optical telescope above the dark limb of Earth.

South Korea

ROKAF Space Operations Squadron. Reported established in December 2022 for space operations and surveillance. The Korea AeroSpace Administration, founded May 2024, is a separate civil agency.

Budget
No separate space line is published. The 2026 defence budget rose 7.5% to 65.86 trillion won.
Doctrine
The defence ministry describes the 425 constellation as a key component of the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike system, part of its three-axis defence posture.
  • verified425 Project Reconnaissance constellation of one optical and four radar satellites, giving roughly two-hour revisit. 5 satellites, constellation completed November 2025
  • verifiedANASIS-II First dedicated military communications satellite, frequency-hopping. 1 satellite, launched 2020
  • announcedKorea Positioning System Planned independent regional navigation. in development
  • verifiedCounterspace weapons None acknowledged or deployed. none

ROK Ministry of National Defense release of 17 November 2025 on the 425 Project, mirrored by GlobalSecurity; the ministry's own site could not be reached from here · Illustration: YFarmX, generated concept artwork of the satellite class, not the actual spacecraft

The hardware

Model of a radar imaging satellite

Radar imaging satellite

A twelve-metre radar antenna out one side and a single solar wing out the other: the lopsided shape of a side-looking imager.

Illustration · class archetype · real geometry

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