The future of space: congested and contested

The future of space: congested and contested

Space might be a big place but the United Nations regards it as ‘congested, contested and competitive’.

This latest episode of Next Giant Leap, a podcast produced by GZERO Media in partnership with the space company MDA Space, explores the threats and tensions as space becomes busier and of greater strategic importance for an increasing number of countries.

“We have to avoid, by all means, that it becomes a Wild West,” says Tanja Masson-Zwaan, a space law expert at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She adds, “We have regulations, laws and treaties that have been in place for the last fifty years, but we need more to govern this new frontier of space utilization, because the rules that we have are basic principles and do not go into the details.”

Satellites are now being deployed to Low Earth Orbit at a rate of thousands every year. This zone of space is already littered with old defunct satellites and the remains of discarded sections of rockets which have accumulated over more than five decades. The risk of collisions is increasing, raising fears of a runaway cascade of space debris.

Tests of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons have showered still more debris into Low Earth Orbit. Since 2007, China, the United States, India and Russia have conducted ASAT tests. Last year the United States announced its own moratorium on ASAT tests and, through a United Nations resolution, it has called for other nations to follow suit. So far China, Russia and India have not signed up. So is space set to become a new theater for conflict and weapons proliferation?

“Look at how satellites have become embedded in our way of life,” says Kevin Whale, senior director of defense strategy at MDA Space. “If we wreck space, it’s almost one step down from nuclear catastrophe”.

Within a few years, a new phase of the space race will begin. Both the United States and China will be competing to get people to the moon and exploit its resources, particularly water ice in craters at the lunar south pole.

According to Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, “The Outer Space Treaty says space is the province of all mankind, meaning it's open to usage really by everybody. On the other hand, the principles say we should avoid harmful interference. And so the question is, how do we go about balancing those two imperatives: open to everybody but avoid harmful interference?”

Host: Kevin Fong

Guests: Tanja Masson-Zwaan, Scott Pace, Kevin Whale

Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Avsnitt(415)

Petraeus: America's Chief Global Threats

Petraeus: America's Chief Global Threats

"Yes, you have to read President Trump's tweets, but you can't just get riveted on those. You need to follow the troops, follow the money, and follow the substance of policies." Retired U.S. General David Petraeus has led troops into battle but he's as much an academic as he is an officer. This week he talks to Ian Bremmer about the the threats facing the United States today, both from without and within. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 Dec 201726min

The Dangers of Deglobalization

The Dangers of Deglobalization

Global economist and author Dambisa Moyo studies the intersection of geopolitics, business, and economics in an increasingly unstable world. Moyo serves on the board of Barclays Bank, she has advised more than a few fortune 500 companies, and was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In her free time, she likes to relax by running marathons. I’ll ask her about her increasingly bleak views on the future of the global economy. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

22 Nov 201724min

JD Vance: The Deplorables Whisperer

JD Vance: The Deplorables Whisperer

"My natural inclination, from the start, was to be really, really supportive of Donald Trump's message." A little over a year since a wave of populist support in "flyover country" helped elect President Donald J. Trump, Ian Bremmer descends from the snowflaked perches of his globalist headquarters in New York to discuss the state of Trump's base with Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 Nov 201719min

The State of Europe is Strong(ish)

The State of Europe is Strong(ish)

"I believe that when history is written on the Crimean conflict, it will be seen as a defeat for Russia." Carl Bildt, former Swedish Prime Minister and champion of a united Europe, does not mince words about Vladimir Putin. But when it comes to the state of the European Union today, he is as upbeat as a Swede can be. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3 Nov 201715min

Don't Turn Down a Drink in Pyongyang

Don't Turn Down a Drink in Pyongyang

K-Pop, fancy pianos, and plenty of soju. Despite increased Western sanctions, quality of life for much of North Korea's elite is improving. But during one particularly boozy dinner in Pyongyang last month, New Yorker writer Evan Osnos heard something particularly chilling from one of his handful of minders: Nuclear war with the U.S. would be survivable. It might, the 35 year-old father of two seemed to indicate, be unavoidable.  Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 Okt 201735min

Trump's Race Problem

Trump's Race Problem

The Travel Ban. Charlottesville. The NFL. President Trump's handling of race in America has been divisive and unrestrained. The reason, says New Yorker Staff Writer Jelani Cobb, can be traced back to one place: Queens, New York. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 Okt 201718min

Texting with ISIS

Texting with ISIS

After the horrific shooting in Las Vegas, ISIS scrambled to claim responsibility. They did so despite any real evidence. Then they doubled down. This week Ian sits down with ISIS expert and New York Times foreign correspondent Rukmini Callimachi, who may know the group better than any other journalist. Be sure to subscribe to the show and leave us a review on iTunes (it really does help). Watch the full episode of G-Zero World from where this interview was pulled: facebook.com/gzeroworld Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

9 Okt 201727min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
motiv
aftonbladet-krim
p3-krim
flashback-forever
politiken
rss-viva-fotboll
fordomspodden
aftonbladet-daily
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
spar
rss-krimstad
rss-krimreportrarna
olyckan-inifran
blenda-2
rss-frandfors-horna
dagens-eko
rss-flodet
rss-expressen-dok