Description
This paper proposes an overarching concept of the “Global Space Age” as a more useful narrative framing for understanding and researching humanity’s practical ‘Space Age’ – the material use of outer space and related technologies in the run up to and after 1957. There are a number of different framings or narrative devices for making arguments or observations about outer space today in academia, journalism, government, military, and industry communities. These include First, Second, and Third Space Ages, NewSpace, a ‘new Space Race’, a ‘commercial Space Age’, and Space 4.0, to name a few. These framings are not without merit – but their various merits are their collective undoing. The trouble with these phrases or epochs is that they each describe valid observations about outer space that have been true to varying extents since 1957. Instead of these framings I propose the notion of the “Global Space Age” which argues against rigid categorisations of ‘eras’ in space to emphasise important and existing facets of international politics in space since the mid-20th century: (1) that space has always been an internationalised realm with multiple important actors, including before Sputnik’s launch in 1957; (2) and that commercial industry has long been crucial to the exploitation of outer space. This approach contributes to researching and studying astropolitics by: 1) embracing a diversity of actors and transnational forces in a time and place materially dominated by two superpowers; 2) demonstrates the long lead-time of technological development and supports the “shock of the old” rejoinder to technological novelty discourse; 3) emphasises the statist dominance of the global space economy even as more private companies enter the global space industry.
