ID | 137563 |
Title Proper | Democratization of space |
Other Title Information | new actors need new rules |
Language | ENG |
Author | Baiocchi, Dave ; Welser IV, William |
Summary / Abstract (Note) | Starting with the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik in 1957, early space missions were funded exclusively by national governments, and for good reason: going to space was astronomically expensive. Setting up a successful space program meant making major investments in expertise and infrastructure, along with tolerating a great deal of risk—which only the superpowers could do. NASA’s Apollo program, for instance, employed 400,000 people, cost more than $110 billion in today’s dollars, and resulted in the death of three skilled astronauts. Not surprisingly, then, the legal framework that developed as the space race intensified was government-centric. In 1967, the United States, the Soviet Union, and many other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty, which set up a framework for managing activities in space—usually defined as beginning 62 miles above sea level. The treaty established national governments as the parties responsible for governing space, a principle that remains in place today. |
`In' analytical Note | Foreign Affairs Vol. 94, No. 3; May/Jun 2015: p.98-104 |
Journal Source | Foreign Affairs Vol: 94 No 3 |
Key Words | Space ; NASA ; Democratization of Space ; Space Rules ; Unmanned Rocket ; Nano - Satellite Systems |