Description
The political study of outer space – or astropolitics – is something that has until recently featured as a niche specialism in the United States. Today thousands of satellites orbit Earth, providing critical infrastructure through large technological systems, creating political, economic, and social forces beyond the direct control of the United States in an environment and 'geography' that has long been surrendered by social scientists to the ‘hard sciences’. Earth orbit is already the scene of international power politics and is shaped by the forces of international anarchy, and more and more states are formalising their space activities with space agencies and new military space institutions and formations, each seeking to benefit from and shape the governance and exploitation of Earth orbit for practical terrestrial purposes. This roundtable features experts on China, Russia, and global governance in space to to guide a discussion on the changing shape of global order in space, and what the Global Space Age means for terrestrial politics and the study of International Relations in the years to come.
