The space race of the 1950s and 1960s, epitomized by the Apollo 11 moon landing, ignited a generation’s fascination with space exploration, turbocharging developments in technology. Fast forward to the present and the space ecosystem is changing: once a domain accessible only to governments, space now affects nearly every aspect of life on earth.
The successful landing of India’s Chandraayan-3 on the lunar south pole last year showed the growing international competition to seize an advantage in space. In this era, the victors will be the nations that spearhead innovation through the pursuit of skills.
Investment in the global space sector has grown from $300 million in 2012 to over $10 billion in 2021. The reduction in commercial space exploration costs has enabled investors to seek out emerging space industries such as mining, debris removal and energy production. In addition, the proliferation of satellites — with nearly 7,500 orbiting Earth and an average of fifty new ones launched weekly — is delivering technological advancements that underpin integral parts of daily life, from ride-hailing services to an array of entertainment options.
Growing geopolitical tensions on earth, and a requirement to possess strategic advantage, are driving ventures into space. Adversaries are actively pursuing capabilities that could disrupt critical infrastructure or even pose direct threats. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson brought this point home all too well earlier this month when he alerted Capitol Hill to China’s deliberate concealment of military initiatives in space under the guise of “so-called civilian space programmes.” This came after several security analysts reported that China and Russia are both engaging in worrisome and “unfriendly” space activities. In the face of this activity, it is clear that without robust investment in space capabilities, nations risk ceding strategic advantage.
So how does the United…
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