Space Nationalism

Business Standard     13th February 2021     Save    

Context: An ongoing space race between global powers driven by nationalism (and military necessities) despite multinational collaborations is a result of competitive spirit. To be an influencer and leader.

Examples of Global Space Nationalism

  • Mars Mission with National Agenda: initiated by several countries due to its significance in terms of searching for life, understanding its surface, and preparing for human exploration
    • Hope probe of United Arab Emirates projected it as the first “Arab-Muslim” nation to reach Mars.
    • Tianwen-1 of China: only after the US and the Soviet Union to land a spacecraft on Mars.
    • Perseverance Rover of United States would attempt to test the first powered flight at Mars.
  • Apollo programme of U.S: objective was to beat Soviet Union to the Moon ´before decade is out.
  • Unmanned and manned space programmes: While the US´ unmanned programmes are most advanced, China, Japan, and the European Union are way ahead of the rest.
    • Private firms like SpaceX are testing vehicles for manned missions, ending years of U.S. reliance on Russia.
  • Military space exploration programmes
    • US and China are in a quiet competition for military advantage in space.
    • Russia is eager to restore its military space exploration capabilities to keep up with US and China.
      • For e.g. first Covid vaccine, Sputnik V, reminded the world of Sputnik I (the first artificial Earth satellite)
    • Turkey, Brazil, Iran, North Korea, and South Korea, has space launch programmes either in active or planning stage.
  • Nascent ´space race´ between India and China: competing in the following space activities-
    • Moon (Chandrayaan and Chang´e projects).
    • Mars (Mangalyaan and Tianwen 1 projects).
    • Sending humans to space and building space stations.

                      Benefits of Space Programmes/Industry: potential benefits to humanity

                      • Food security: by combining imagery with weather can optimise farm yields.
                      • Greenhouse gas monitoring: by helping utilities develop renewable energy infrastructure by using predictive models.
                      • Better internet access: like SpaceX´s Starlink is a satellite internet constellation.
                      • Tertiary benefits: Advancements in hydrogen fuel cell technology, robotics, health care, and other disciplines; will improve technological base and military capabilities.
                      • Economic returns: Morgan Stanley estimates the global space industry can generate revenue of “more than $ 1 trillion or more in 2040, up from $350 billion, currently”.
                      Conclusion: A strong space policy with broad range of perceptions and interests (beyond national agenda) and involvement of private sector can be a source of great prestige, technological and  economic returns.