https://spacewatch.global/space-geopolitics/geopolitics-featuring-article/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:49:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/space-geopolitics/geopolitics-featuring-article/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-for-all-or-space-for-those-already-there/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75041
Written by Judith Delany
ICAAD’s new policy brief on equity in space governance raises a question COPUOS can no longer avoid: who gets to shape the rules of the next space age?]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-can-30-people-and-the-vienna-spirit-carry-the-future-of-space/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74979
Written by Judith Delany
As satellites multiply, geopolitical tensions rise, and space governance grows more complex, COPUOS and UNOOSA face mounting pressure to keep international cooperation alive.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-peaceful-provided-nobody-looks-too-closely-what-does-peace-mean-in-space/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74929
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
How an old compromise still shapes the future of outer space. Because the Outer Space Treaty did not settle the meaning of peace. It gave the world a word broad enough to hold several disagreements at once, and sturdy enough, for a time, to hold up the sky. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-from-hobby-to-high-ground-germany-maps-its-military-space-all-the-way-to-the-moon/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74900
Written by Torsten Kriening
At this year's Berlin Air Show, two positions German officials had largely kept off open stages were stated in plain terms: that the Bundeswehr's remit now reaches toward cislunar space, between Earth and Moon, and that kinetic effects against satellites remain an option in the event of war.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-do-space-infrastructure-plans-ignore-physical-reality/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74855
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
The future of space may be constrained less by funding or launch capacity than by orbital physics and geopolitical competition. As military and commercial constellations proliferate, congestion, debris accumulation, and strategic rivalry are reshaping access to orbital space. The question is no longer how many satellites can be launched, but who will retain meaningful access to orbit and under what conditions.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-allied-by-design-part-2-what-americas-cislunar-ambitions-mean-for-europe/ Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74695
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
As the U.S. Space Force expands its focus beyond GEO and into cislunar space, Europe faces difficult questions about sovereignty, industrial capacity, defence cooperation, and its long-term role in the emerging Earth-Moon economy.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-allied-by-design-part-1-how-the-u-s-space-force-plans-to-extend-operations-beyond-ge/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74630
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
The U.S. Space Force's latest strategic documents envision an Allied-by-design architecture stretching from launch infrastructure to cislunar operations. This first part examines how launch capabilities, funding mechanisms, and emerging cislunar security requirements could reshape cooperation between the United States and its partners.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-smallsat-europe-amsterdam-2026-sovereign-on-paper-dual-use-in-practice/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74540 At SmallSat Europe in Amsterdam, defence took over the show. A German general pitched a European Space Command, the EU Space Act crawled toward 2030, and the dual-use question nobody wants to answer hung over every panel. Europe spoke sovereignty fluently - and built it haltingly. A publisher's view from the RAI floor.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-power-and-the-architecture-of-the-new-world-order/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74340
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
Europe increasingly understands the strategic importance of space, yet implementation continues to lag behind ambition. As geopolitical competition accelerates, the gap between policy objectives and operational capability is becoming harder to ignore.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-space-industry-faces-a-structural-tipping-point/ Wed, 27 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74229
Written by Gilles Rabin
Two political signals from Berlin and Washington have exposed a deeper structural issue in Europe’s space sector. The challenge is no longer technological capability, but the ability to build a market that can scale, compete, and act independently.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-boiling-frogs-in-orbit-what-the-csis-swf-2026-threat-briefing-tells-us-about-where-space-security-is-heading/ Sun, 24 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74133 Torsten Kriening reviews the joint CSIS-Secure World Foundation briefing on the 2026 space threats landscape, where Kari Bingen, Victoria Samson, Kathleen Brett and Clayton Swope walked through dynamic space operations, the limits of two-line elements, and Golden Dome's trillion-dollar threshold question. The most operationally significant development of the past week, however, came from Greg Gillinger's open-source analysis of Russian Cosmos satellites manoeuvring into co-planar orbits with ICEYE-X36. A European problem.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/space-enabled-isr/ Fri, 22 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74122 At Deep Tech Momentum 2026 in Berlin, the conversation on European space-enabled ISR took place behind closed doors. Held under the Chatham House Rule and moderated by Lt Gen (ret) Sir Tom Copinger-Symes, the session diagnosed Europe's latency problem, the limits of national sovereignty, and the procurement gap holding German space capability back.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-golden-dome-and-the-cost-of-deterrence-in-orbit/ Mon, 18 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73951
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
A trillion-dollar estimate triggered a rare public pushback from the U.S. Space Force. Behind it sits a quieter shift: missile defense in orbit is no longer a question of feasibility, but of scale and execution.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-analysis-geoint-2026-the-pipeline-is-the-mission-and-europe-is-falling-behind-on-the-plumbing/ Fri, 15 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73911
Written by Torsten Kriening
GEOINT 2026 in Aurora delivered an uncomfortable diagnosis: the era of competing for collection is over. The real contest is now integration, governance and trustworthy AI - and Europe is falling behind on the plumbing. Torsten Kriening analyses what the symposium means for Berlin and Brussels.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-planetary-defense-joins-the-supremacy-stack/ Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73899
Written by Torsten Kriening
At the 41st Space Symposium, a planetary defense luncheon I expected to be apolitical turned into something else. When a former NASA Administrator proposed extending the Artemis Accords to cover asteroid defense, it became clear: the last genuinely multilateral domain in space is being quietly absorbed into the American supremacy stack.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-analysis-the-eu-space-act-and-why-turkiye-should-pay-attention/ Tue, 12 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73797
Written by Berna Akçalı Gür, PhD
As the EU Space Act advances through the legislative process, its implications are expected to extend well beyond EU borders. For Türkiye, the regulation presents both a compliance challenge and a strategic opportunity, particularly for operators involved in launch services, satellite activities, and cooperation with European partners. This article examines the legal, geopolitical, and industrial implications of the EUSA for Türkiye’s emerging space sector.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-kill-chain-comes-home-what-leonardo-drss-breakfast-briefing-tells-us-about-the-direction-of-american-homeland-defense/ Thu, 07 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73681
Written by Torsten Kriening
Kill chains justified by homeland defense. Decisions moving to software. And allies barely mentioned. This breakfast said more than it intended.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-analysis-copuos-lsc-2026-and-the-politics-of-doing-more-with-less/ Wed, 06 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73618
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
The 65th session of the Legal Subcommittee of COPUOS, held in Vienna from 15 to 22 April 2026, had all the expected ingredients of contemporary space governance.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-what-the-allied-space-commanders-did-not-say-in-colorado-springs/ Mon, 04 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73509 The "Burden Sharing & Shifting in Space" panel at Colorado Springs gathered five military space leaders from France, Germany, Norway, the UK and the US for a candid, professional conversation – about everything except the topic dominating every other room of the Broadmoor. No one said "Moon". No one said "Article II". No one mentioned EO 14369. SpaceWatch.Global Publisher Torsten Kriening on what the allied commanders said, what they did not, and why the framing was the political act.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-analysis-brussels-brought-a-regulation-to-a-supremacy-summit/ Fri, 01 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73478
Written by Torsten Kriening
At the 41st Space Symposium, four people who do not normally agree on much converged on the same diagnosis: the EU Space Act in its current form is in serious trouble. Four days later, Commissioner Kubilius told the European Parliament that more work is needed. SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening on what Brussels should be sitting with as it walks into the May Working Party sessions.]]>