British astronauts and the military Skynet satellite programme

Which British citizens have gone into space, and were there others prepared to fly?

Several British and dual-national astronauts flew, and Skynet 4 led to British personnel being trained for possible Space Shuttle missions.

Helen Sharman and Tim Peake are among the British citizens who reached space, alongside several people with dual nationality or commercial-flight connections. Their routes were institutionally varied because Britain did not operate a national crewed launch system. British personnel were also trained for possible Space Shuttle work connected with the Skynet 4 military communications programme. That link places human spaceflight inside defence communications as well as exploration. The later Skynet 6 name continues a satellite family that predates the fictional system in the Terminator films. Britain participated in crewed spaceflight through partnerships and specialist programmes.