Description
On 17th September 1963, RAF Fylingdales became operational as the UK’s first and only Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station (BMEWS). RAF Fylingdales, the third part of the BMEWS program (now part of US Space Force Delta 4) was signed into existence in 1958 after the launch of Sputnik I, marking an ominous milestone in space operations' history.
Sixty years on, questions of whether a war could begin or be decided in space remains pertinent. Prompted by events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In this paper, I will draw upon Major General Kim Crider (Ret.), former US Space Force (USSF) Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, experience of the early days of Space Force. Framing the US retreat from Afghanistan on 31st August 2021 alongside investment in joint space operations in the US and the UK. I argue that from a post-phenomenological perspective, UK Space Command, US Space Command and USSF investments in people planning, threat assessment, which focus on the applications of AI technologies, augmented reality, forecasting, and skills development. Highlighting the dematerialising force of technology upon human practices of space operations and surveillance (Haraway 2004, Braidotti, 2019). While setting out innovative approaches to trace the generative lineage of 60 years investment in space infrastructure at RAF Fylingdales.
