Description
As China and the United States continue to push ahead with mass satellite deployments, quickened launch schedules, and ambitious lunar programmes, are we entering a new bipolar era in space like that of the Soviet-U.S. Cold War? Or, have other actors done enough to warrant another label to describe the international order in space? Does India’s Lunar triumph in 2023, and possible first crewed spaceflight in late 2024, alter the calculations somewhat? How far will Russia’s decline go? Dozens of states and companies registered within them are active in space and are collectively shaping the governance of outer space. Or are they? Join in conversation with a collection of space researchers offering their own perspectives on such questions of power, governance, and rule-making in space. What role is there for non-state actors, civil society, and other communities in a busier and more globalised Space Age? What role is there for states, communities, and organisations that have no presence in space themselves yet will be directly impacted by the industrialisation of outer space? Whilst ‘space for all’ is a common mantra in space treaties, policies, and corporate messaging, this roundtable will grapple with the prospect of a Chinese and US led order in outer space as other powers and interests seek to make their mark in Earth orbit and beyond.
