66 Re-Entries, 244 New Space Objects Monitored in February 2026
Summary
The National Space Operations Centre issued its February 2026 monthly report covering UK space protection activities. The period saw 66 re-entries (59 satellites, 6 rocket bodies, 1 debris), a net addition of 244 objects to the US Satellite Catalogue bringing the total to 33,165, and 2,117 collision avoidance alerts for UK-licensed satellites. No new fragmentation incidents were recorded, and space weather activity was reduced compared to January.
What changed
The National Space Operations Centre published its February 2026 monthly report documenting UK space domain awareness activities. Key metrics included 66 atmospheric re-entries (up from 50 in January), 244 net new objects added to the tracked population (total 33,165), and 2,117 collision avoidance alerts (down from 2,608 in January). No fragmentation events occurred during the period.
This is an informational monthly report rather than a regulatory instrument. Satellite operators, space industry participants, and government stakeholders should note the statistical trends in space object population growth and collision risk levels when planning orbital operations. The report confirms all NSpOC warning and protection services remained operational throughout February 2026.
What to do next
- Monitor for future NSpOC monthly reports
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
News story
How we protected the UK and space in February 2026
This report was issued in March 2026 and covers the time period 1 February 2026 to 28 February 2026 inclusive.
From: National Space Operations Centre, UK Space Agency, Ministry of Defence and Met Office Published 19 March 2026
The National Space Operations Centre is led by the UK Space Agency and UK Space Command in partnership with the Met Office.
February saw sustained levels of space activity, with higher levels of uncontrolled re-entries but lower levels of collision alerts and space weather activity than in January.
All NSpOC warning and protection services were functioning throughout the period.
Re-entry analysis
February saw an increase in the number of objects re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, monitored by NSpOC, when compared with the previous month.
Of the 66 objects that re-entered, 59 were satellites, 6 were rocket bodies and one was likely a piece of debris.
March: 85, April: 92, May: 64, June: 55, July: 52, August: 34, September: 39, October: 54, November: 43, December: 52, January: 50, February: 66
Collision avoidance analysis
Collision risks to UK-licensed satellites were lower in February than in January.
March: 2,588, April: 2,620, May: 1,546, June: 1,259, July: 1,038, August: 971, September: 1,537, October: 2,402, November: 2,472, December: 2,643, January: 2,608, February: 2,117
Registered Space Objects (RSOs) analysis
The in-orbit population increased in February, with a net addition of 244 objects to the US Satellite Catalogue.
March: 30,183, April: 30,311, May: 30,560, June: 30,885, July: 31,093, August: 31,347, September, 31,636, October: 31,928, November: 32,306, December: 32,694, January: 32,921, February: 33,165
The number of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) reported may be subject to small adjustments over time as the way objects are tracked is refined. Figures in this report reflect the most current available data and may differ slightly from those published in previous months.
Fragmentation analysis
There have been no new fragmentation (break-up) incidents this month.
Space weather analysis
A reduction in space weather activity was observed during the month of February, with some geomagnetic storms and solar flares registered throughout the month.
Comments
The National Space Operations Centre combines and coordinates UK civil and military space domain awareness capabilities to enable operations, promote prosperity and protect UK interests in space and on Earth from space-related threats, risks and hazards.
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