<p>How essential are satellite communications to defence? What is the difference between a military and a commercial satellite? And what are the UK's SATCOM capabilities right now? Neil Fraser, Director of Defence and Space Programmes at NSSL Global, talks to us about his extensive SATCOM experience, both in and out of uniform. We discuss the recently published UK Defence Space Strategy, Skynet 6 and why a mix of systems comes with greater resilience.</p>

Episode 9: It Actually Is Rocket Science

Space is becoming increasingly congested, contested and competed over. It has never been so easy – or so cheap – to launch a satellite into orbit. With space activity proliferating, its impact on national security has grown too: space assets are becoming vulnerable and space debris is becoming increasingly dangerous. War in Space is a series of interviews with experts in space and defence that will analyse the intersection of space and national security, unravelling the technical jargon that so often accompanies these discussions and explaining why space matters for our everyday lives and security.

The views or statements expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by RUSI employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of RUSI.