Australian Centre for Space Governance’s Post

Is the United States optimized in its grand strategic thinking to utilize strategic technologies like space, with its current institutional structures? There appears to be a disconnect between policy, budget, NASA priorities, Space Force priorities, and the role of the U.S. commercial sector, in all of this! We already know this! The challenge is to move forward from this discourse to a solution. We will not get perfect policy integration; but what is the most advantageous integration, to the extent it is possible, is something, we should think through. A Hedgehog perspective, if I may. https://lnkd.in/eSuCTFXw

🚀 New Article Published! 🚀 Thrilled to share my latest piece on The Jamestown Foundation, exploring China’s ambitious plan to become a global leader in space science by 2050. Beyond scientific aspirations, the plan holds strategic significance. - Military strategists see commercial space as an essential strategic force for future conflicts, noting the deep integration of commercial space assets in modern warfare. - The new plan will likely serve military purposes by facilitating research on dual-use technologies, such as space weather monitoring. - The possibility of misperception and conflict will grow as the PRC begins to narrow the gap in its space capabilities with the United States. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e3h3jN4U Special thanks to my friend and editor Arran Hope for his valuable input.🥳 #SpaceScience #China #PLA #USChinaRelations #CommercialSpace #DualUseTechnologies #StrategicCompetition #SpaceTechnology #MilitaryStrategy

#DisruptiveTech The UK Government has announced the launch of the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC). NSpOC unites civilian and military space capabilities, safeguarding UK interests from space-related threats, risks and hazards. Led by the UK Space Agency and UK Space Command, in partnership with the Met Office, NSpOC is a significant stride towards a safe and sustainable space environment. A new review celebrates the successes of the UK space sector, marked by milestones such as the historic first launch from UK soil in Cornwall in January 2023. The Space Regulatory Review establishes the key regulatory priority areas for the UK space sector to maintain its innovative, attractive, and competitive regulatory environment. These include the importance of fostering international partnerships with spacefaring nations and incentivising world-leading sustainable practices to protect the space environment. Developed in collaboration with over 100 industry representatives, this new report offers a unified regulatory roadmap for the future of the UK space sector and our flourishing space economy. The report comes as Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Science Minister Andrew Griffith and UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Minister Cartlidge visited UK Space Command to launch the National Space Operations Centre. The centre brings together almost 70 civilian and military personnel to safeguard the UK against space-related threats, risks, and hazards, such as satellite collisions. The launch of the NSpOC marks a significant milestone, as it fulfils a key commitment outlined in the government’s National Space Strategy, Defence Strategy, and the recently announced Space Industrial Plan, published in March 2024. More details: https://lnkd.in/eH6mJ487 #NSpOC #UKSpace #SpaceSecurity #defence #science #space Campaign Catapult, Pravo Consulting

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman highlighted the risks in the keynote address at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Stutdies’ Spacepower Security Forum in Arlington, Va., where he presented a four-quadrant chart illustrating the competition between U.S. “blue” and Chinese “red” space capability: In the top left, U.S. forces dominate, Saltzman said: “This is where we lived for a significant period of time. It’s where we want to be, holding space superiority.” In the lower left, neither side is effective in space. In that scenario, Saltzman said China is advantaged, because the U.S. joint force is so reliant on space.  In the lower right, China achieves space superiority over the U.S., the worst possible outcome for the U.S. In the upper right. This signals “a space domain where both blue and red can use space capabilities in the way they want, and I would also argue that this favors the PRC again, because of the localities of the Western Pacific,” Saltzman noted. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/gPYyMhjW Space Force Association

Recently, OSC has engaged in commercial space dialogues with over a dozen countries, and space situational awareness (SSA) has been on the agenda every time. All spacefaring nations are interested in promoting space safety and sustainability. The growing list of international partners and collaborators includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, European Commission, IN-SPACe, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Space Agency | Agence spatiale canadienne, UK Space Agency, Australian Space Agency, New Zealand Space Agency, and the Philippine Space Agency. Within these dialogues, OSC is promoting its vision for global SSA coordination, in which #TraCSS is one of many national or regional SSA providers working in close coordination on a global level. For example, with Europe’s EU SST program, OSC is conducting studies to assess and improve results when combining U.S. and European SSA information. We will continue to engage with close international partners to enable cooperation between national and regional SSA systems in operation or development around the world. Recognizing that space requires truly global cooperation, we will also seek to open lines of communication with nations operating SSA systems that have not traditionally coordinated their efforts with the United States. #SpaceTrafficCoordination

“Britain strives to be both a good global citizen and a global space power – promoting space technology for the good of humanity, as well as protecting vital national interests. “We cannot do one without the other. Without being willing to put the use of space centre-stage, to further our prosperity and influence, we do not have a seat at the table when deciding the rules and norms for the responsible and sustainable uses of space.” Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, giving his keynote this morning at the #DefenceSpace24 Conference. A couple of themes from the speech: A vibrant space ecosystem is needed to drive the innovations that gives UK economy and defence a competitive advantage - that’s why we are investing £50m in the development of state-of-the-art space facilities through the Space Cluster Infrastructure Fund. Civil-defence cooperation can go further but has started. Earlier this year, we launched the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) - jointly led by UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency - it combines and coordinates civil and military space domain awareness capabilities to enable UK space operations and protect our interests in space and on Earth from space related threats, risks, and hazards. A concrete example of civil-defence cooperation. We have identified Dual Use capabilities as a priority for the UK Space Agency and have committed to a cross-departmental approach through our Unlocking Space for Dual Use Programme. #DualUse #spacedomainawareness #defencespace #spacetech The Air and Space Power Association (ASPA) UKspace ADS Group Ltd Satellite Applications Catapult

My recent piece on US-China space relations in The Space Review. 🔭

Native Hawaiians vs. Space Force: A New Conflict 🌌 Have you heard about the latest conflict brewing in Hawaii? The U.S. Space Force wants to build 7 new telescopes on sacred Hawaiian land, but local residents are saying a firm 'no.' 🚫🔭 "With more objects in space, we need more telescopes to track them," said a military official, but Native Hawaiians see it as a continuation of colonial practices. Can technology and cultural preservation coexist? Do you think we can find a middle ground? 🤔 🔗 Learn more and share your thoughts below. P.S. If this resonates with you, consider resharing ♻️ and let's keep the conversation going. #Hawaii #SpaceForce #CulturalPreservation #EnvironmentalImpact #PublicOpinion #SpaceExploration #CommunityVoice #SustainableDevelopment

The heads of BRICS space agencies gathered in Moscow on May 23, 2024, to discuss various aspects of international space cooperation, deliberate on ongoing and prospective multilateral space initiatives, and adopt joint beneficial frameworks. https://lnkd.in/dsPFuRNs