Space technology and applications have evolved dramatically since Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957. Today, space is a vital part of life on Earth and throughout the universe.
As the world’s governments and private companies increasingly rely on space exploration, however, a new wave of challenges are emerging. Among them is the rapid proliferation of space junk in low-Earth orbit (LEO), which threatens to obstruct and even destroy important space infrastructure.
The Moon
The Moon was the first place beyond Earth humans tried to reach, and it still holds a special place in space exploration. It’s a beautiful world of deep craters, large dark areas called maria, and a rich history that stretches back billions of years.
Scientists can learn a lot about Earth’s origins by studying the Moon’s surface. A team of planetary scientists at the University of Chicago, for instance, uses samples from lunar craters to measure chemical fingerprints.
NASA is gearing up for the return of human astronauts to the Moon, as part of its Artemis program. The agency hopes to bring a crew around the Moon and return them home in 2025.
Asteroids
Asteroids are the rocky and metallic remnants of collisions between mini-planets that formed in the early days of our solar system. They are unsullied envoys from those turbulent times, and by studying their shapes and sizes, scientists gain insight into how planets like our own formed.
There are millions of asteroids, the vast majority in a band called the’main belt’ between Mars and Jupiter. Some asteroids drift throughout the solar system on orbits that can bring them into close proximity with planets, including Earth.
These space rocks are called potentially hazardous asteroids, or PHAs, and the threat they pose to our planet is well publicised. The hazard is particularly significant in light of the fact that some asteroids could contain resources such as water and rare earth metals that are in short supply here on Earth, and which are required for our modern-day electronics and rocket propellant.
Space Stations
A space station is a platform for long-term living and working in orbit. These stations orbit Earth; they may also orbit other planets or moons in the future.
For space exploration, a space station is a critical part of any strategy. It allows scientists and engineers to test materials and designs that cannot be done on Earth.
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest international aerospace project ever undertaken. It enables long-term research in material, life, and medical science.
As human society develops and expands beyond the confines of Earth, new opportunities will arise in space. These opportunities will attract a private sector that seeks to explore, mine, construct habitats, and conduct scientific research in space.
This will present unique issues in terms of how nations are regulated, and how individual actors can be held accountable. There will be increasing interactions between space stations, and nations will have to rethink their concept of territorial jurisdiction.
Space Warfare
As the world’s three largest powers – the United States, China, and Russia – race to gain and maintain control of space, it is becoming increasingly likely that humanity will enter into conflict in outer space. This new type of war involving orbital objects will inevitably raise the bar for global defense and potentially threaten the future of mankind.
There are several ways that a space war could play out: cyber attacks, anti-satellite missiles shot from Earth, or other methods that rely on satellites to transmit information. All of these options are potentially very dangerous and can cause a lot of collateral damage.
As a result, it is important to understand how space warfare will affect the future of space exploration and how to prepare for it. This is why we have put together this encyclopedia, which explores how space warfare has evolved in the past, present, and future and details many of the major space weapons systems used by governments around the world.