09:15

One decidedly unexpected effect of a no-deal departure would be the UK potentially getting less warning about space debris plummeting towards the Earth, whether old satellite or other debris.

The warning comes in a briefing paper on space and satellites, which notes the UK’s involvement in the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EUSST) programme.

Set up in 2014, this warns about risks from orbiting debris, which could pose a risk to satellites, as well as what are termed “re-entry warnings”, which alert nations to objects heading downwards from space.

The system began work in mid-2016, and is not yet fully functioning. Currently, a centre in the UK provides warnings about fragmentation of space debris, and provides a back-up service for re-entry alerts.

If the UK leaves without a deal, the document says, the country will no longer be part of the programme, both in terms of developing it further, and taking part in the system.

It is not, however, all bad news. The documents says: “The UK will continue to receive space, surveillance and tracking data from the United States of America.”