The National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, Met Office, and UK Space Agency, has released its report detailing space surveillance and protection activities for October 2025
October was characterised by increased space activity, with both the number of uncontrolled re-entries and collision alerts rising significantly compared to September.
Despite this, the overall risk levels encountered over the 31 days remained below the 12-month rolling average, indicating stable operational performance. All NSpOC warning and protection services operated without interruption throughout October.
Increased traffic in Earth’s atmosphere and orbit
Re-Entry
NSpOC monitored 54 objects re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, showing a 15% increase from the 39 objects tracked in September. The majority of these were satellites, with 52 being de-orbiting spacecraft and two classified as rocket bodies. This volume of re-entries places October below the average monthly activity observed over the preceding year.
For context, the re-entry numbers reported throughout 2025 varied widely:
- Previous months (2025): The year began with high numbers (e.g., January: 115, February: 129) before dropping to lows in the summer (e.g., August: 34, September: 39).
- October: The 54 re-entries signal a moderate rebound in activity.
Collision avoidance analysis
The risk set by in-orbit hazards to UK-licensed satellites was clearly higher in October. The NSpOC recorded 2,402 collision alerts, a 56% increase from the 1,537 processed in September. This sharp rise was attributed to a greater frequency of close-approach interactions involving UK-licensed spacecraft and other debris or operational satellites over the 30 days.
Similar to re-entries, collision alert volumes fluctuated across the year:
- Previous highs: Early 2025 saw volumes above 2,500 per month (e.g., January: 2,694, April: 2,620).
- Summer lows: Activity dropped substantially during the summer (e.g., July: 1,038, August: 971).
- October: The 2,402 alerts demonstrate a substantial return to high-volume tracking and assessment, nearing the average levels observed at the start of the year.
In orbit population dynamics
The overall census of tracked objects in space continued its expansion, placing ongoing pressure on the orbital environment.
Registered space objects (RSOs) Analysis
The in-orbit population grew in October with a net addition of 160 objects to the US Satellite Catalogue. This pushed the total number of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) tracked by the end of the month to 31,676. This figure continues the steady upward trend observed throughout the preceding year, underscoring the increasing density of the operational space environment.
The report confirmed a positive finding on debris creation: there were no new fragmentation (break-up) incidents recorded during the entire month of October 2025.
Regarding the natural environment, space weather activity was reported as slightly elevated. Multiple geomagnetic storms were recorded throughout the month, requiring vigilance from space operators but not causing any reported service disruptions.
