Beyond the ends of the Earth: a new gold rush or training ground for civil coexistence?
India becomes the fourth nation in the world to land on the moon; the Russian Federation’s attempt at a lunar landing with Luna-25 misses the mark by a hair’s breadth; China brings lunar samples back to Earth on Chang’e 5, searching for precious minerals yet to be discovered, nearly 50 years after the last Apollo mission; a private Japanese probe, with the first rover ever developed by the United Arab Emirates on board, fails to make a controlled landing on the lunar surface; the US is back in the game with the successful launch of the first Artemis mission: as more and more players make it to the Moon (and into space in general), it’s turning into the new de facto geopolitical and economic front line for the powers that be on Planet Earth.
What’s happening gives rise to a number of key questions around the future that awaits us. On one hand we are witnessing the creation of powerful bipolarism between China and the USA on a planetary and extraterrestrial scale. On the other, there’s a chance that some country might begin to collaborate on both exploration plans, a move that would encourage more dialogue and a possible accord between the two blocs. But what system will prevail? The Chinese approach, or the collaborative model we find on the International Space Station? Or will a third party or multilateral coordination body be established instead? All this depends on the decisions that need to be made right now, with the race to the Moon reigniting with far more intensity than the first time around.
To face the future of space exploration and the creation of markets that will accompany this journey, what’s needed today is a cooperative, inclusive approach. Because when the challenge is a global one, so must the solution be. This book invites us all to look at the Moon and space not only as an opportunity for economic development or a horizon for expanding our knowledge, but also as a training ground where we can try out new exercises in diplomacy. This is the only way to enable geopolitics to take on a truly never-before-seen dimension, and to prevent terrestrial mechanisms (in particular less sustainable ones) from simply being transferred and replicated beyond the confines of our planet.
Publisher: Egea
Publication Date: January 2024
ISBN: 9788823839489
Pages: 152
Format: paper, ebook
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