From Asian Politics to Astropolitics: The History and Future Shape of Asian Space Policy
- Paper number
IAC-07-E6.1.07
- Author
Mr. Scott Shackelford, United States
- Year
2007
- Abstract
As a result of the Challenger disaster in January, 1986 the Regan Administration decided to create the Office of Space Commercialization and in so doing authorize all commercial launches to be conducted by the private sector with the responsibility in law remaining with the federal government. However, until recently the US aerospace industry has had to rely on direct and indirect government subsidy to make functioning in outer space profitable. As a result, the growth of this industry has been inhibited. In Asia though, there is historically a more collaborative government-industry relationship than in the US, and consequently the Japanese and Chinese Space Agencies have been able to use subsidies that have helped create a thriving commercial space industry with a variety of technological spin-offs. What is more, while the Japanese space program has been plagued by delays until recently, as is evident with the launch of two taikonauts China is rapidly developing its space capabilities with implications on the political and economic relations of East Asia. Indeed, the astropolitical arena of space has seen resurgence in last two years. As a result of the relative success of the X Prize competition which successfully demonstrated to the world (and investment capitalists in particular) the feasibility of commercial space tourism on a limited budget, there has been a new wave of interest in space flight that could potentially lead to the beginnings of a viable, unsubsidized space industry and partial privatization of NASA. When this advent is coupled with the Columbia disaster and the new national space policy developed by the Bush Administration that that catastrophe engendered, a dynamic shift in US space policy with implications on the Asian and the world space communities is now underway that will greatly effect how space will be utilized in coming decades. Stemming from the original 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, a new wave of international agreements are also now being discussed with scopes ranging from satellite registration to property rights, since as the privateers move into space, in addition to building orbiting hotels and recreational facilities, they also want to claim property on planets that they hope to mine. Gold has been discovered on asteroids, helium-3 on the moon, and magnesium, cobalt and uranium on Mars. It was recently reported that the Halliburton Company is now working with NASA to develop new drilling capabilities to mine Mars. Both in terms of the private sector and the competition between great powers, a new space race seems to be launching that will affect everything from regional politics in Asia to the manner in which orbital space develops for a generation.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-E6.1.07.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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