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SpaceWatch.Global has been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. This is “‘An Australian ‘space command’ could be a force for good — or a cause for war”, originally published 1 April 2021 at The Conversation by Cassandra Steer.

On October 28th, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX published its Terms of Service for the beta test of its Starlink broadband megaconstellation. If successful, the project purports to offer internet connection to the entire globe – an admirable, albeit aspirational, mission. I must confess: Starlink’s terrestrial impact is a pet issue of mine. But this time, something else caught my attention. Buried in said Terms of Service, under a section called “Governing Law”, I discovered this curious paragraph:

Space in Africa, the leading analytics and consulting company focusing on the African space and satellite industry, has released a country-level analysis of the global space budgets.

Do we really need to grow into space? How can we do it in a sustainable way? It is high time for an integrated discussion of space matters with planetary concerns. The workshop #PLASUS21 – „Planetary Sustainability 21: Challenges, Opportunities and Necessities” connects space & global sustainability, key space actors …

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Prof. Steven Freeland, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. This is “‘War in space’ would be a catastrophe. A return to rules-based cooperation is the only way to keep space peaceful”, originally published 30 November 2020 at The Conversation.

Norway’s new High North policy is a complex mix of initiatives and statements. The main rationale is still ensuring a developed northern region so that Norway can stand strong vis-à-vis the great powers in the north. In addition, the policy plays a role in domestic politics ahead of next year’s election.

Space holds incredible opportunities for us all, including in business, but more information and education is needed in order to attract ever more investors, potential entrepreneurs, other stakeholders and the wider public to this exciting sector.

Lately there has been a lot of attention paid to the heavens. Specifically, near-Earth space, between Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geosynchronous. We recently pointed out in “Money! In! Space!” that there is a business renaissance in space businesses and the related infrastructures. Startups in the space (pun intended) have been expanding old applications, creating new ones, and promising ones over the horizon, from intraorbital satellite taxis to future honeymoon lunar “cruises”.

In all, 102 individuals from 15 countries completed the survey. Responses point to a chasm between current and developing military and security practice, on the one side, and established safety and sustainability norms of activity in space, on the other

The report builds on the 2019 industry report which reported the industry is over USD 7 billion of annual revenues and is projected to grow at a 7.3% compound annual growth rate to exceed USD 10 billion by 2024.