La puissance spatiale, permanences et changements
The term “space power” is increasingly used in the media to describe States that carry out missions with strong symbolic power, even if they do not possess independent resources. Their image thus benefits from a windfall effect, particularly noticeable in the case of Lunar or Martian exploration. In...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Université de Reims Champagne-Ardennes
2024-09-01
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| Series: | L'Espace Politique |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/espacepolitique/12362 |
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| Summary: | The term “space power” is increasingly used in the media to describe States that carry out missions with strong symbolic power, even if they do not possess independent resources. Their image thus benefits from a windfall effect, particularly noticeable in the case of Lunar or Martian exploration. In fact, applied strictly, the expression is reserved for those States with sovereign capabilities for access to space and control of their satellites, who make up the “space club”. The wider use of the term goes hand in hand with the media coverage of the “New Space” movement, which has been redefining the relationship between public power and private players in the United States since the 2010s. Hence the spread of a Western discourse on the democratization of space activities, which are now more accessible. However, the breaking of the fundamental link with the conditions of sovereignty that remains the basis of space power greatly reduces the chances of such a model developing. The history of the acquisition and development of space power undeniably reflects the changing geopolitical balances in which it is embedded and which it helps to maintain. The Cold War determined the fundamentals of space power, in its relationship with nuclear power (part 1). The diversification of space uses reinforces the United States’ place in a heterogeneous space club (part 2). The evolution of power relationships on Earth and the specific characteristics of the players involved have a direct impact on the various forms of space power in the years 1991-2015, marked by security concerns and openness to the private sector (part 3). However, we must be wary of now commonplace assertions about the inevitability of armed conflict in space, the emancipation of private players from the tutelage of States or forthcoming territorial disputes on the Moon, as they ignore the specific constraints of an atypical physical environment. |
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| ISSN: | 1958-5500 |