When it involves area expertise, the road between civilian and army functions is getting thinner by the day.
The more and more dual-use nature of area expertise, the place developments designed for peaceable exploration and financial growth additionally function enablers of contemporary warfare, is regarding.
This pertinent situation was introduced up at Raisina Dialogue 2025 in a session titled “Dark Matters: The Geopolitics of Space”.
Jessy Kate Schingler, Board Member on the Open Lunar Foundation, drew consideration to the subject with this hard-hitting statemet: “Space launch vehicles are basically intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).”
“Space is also a dual-use technology. So, launch vehicles are basically ICBMs. So, the proliferation of space access is also the proliferation of missile technology that could be used as offensive capabilities,” Schingler defined. “That also makes these assets a potential target in geopolitical conflicts on Earth—both to handicap military capabilities and to handicap adversaries’ economic and civil functioning.”
The implications are huge. Space-to-Earth actions, from satellite tv for pc communications to environmental monitoring, have gotten key elements in world geopolitics— or “astropolitics,” because the area group refers to it.
But the crossover between civilian and army functions raises urgent safety questions.
The dual-use dilemma
Dual-use area expertise refers to improvements that serve each civilian and army functions, typically blurring the road between peaceable developments and strategic army property.
Many of the identical methods that assist with navigation, communication, and local weather monitoring may assist missile steerage, reconnaissance, and army communications. Here’s a breakdown of the important thing applied sciences at play:
1. Satellites: The eyes and ears of Earth
Satellites are the spine of contemporary area operations, offering capabilities starting from web connectivity and Global Positioning System navigation to Earth commentary for local weather analysis. But additionally they function key army instruments, providing reconnaissance and early-warning methods for missile detection. During the struggle in Ukraine, satellites performed a pivotal function in guiding drone strikes, detecting troop actions, and offering real-time intelligence.
2. Space launch automobiles, doubling up as ICBMs
The similar rockets that launch satellites into orbit can be utilized to deploy army payloads, together with weapons. This signifies that developments in business spaceflight–whether or not from nationwide applications or non-public firms–might inadvertently contribute to world missile proliferation. The growth of area entry isn’t just about launching satellites. It can also be about who has the potential to ship high-velocity payloads the world over, specialists have warned.
Countries growing satellite tv for pc launch capabilities are, by default, gaining the expertise wanted to ship payloads over huge distances, elevating considerations about space-based threats and world safety.
3. Sensors: Tracking climate— and troop actions
Sensors on satellites have revolutionised local weather analysis, serving to to observe deforestation, carbon emissions, and pure disasters.
However, the identical distant sensing capabilities are used for army reconnaissance, monitoring enemy actions, and figuring out strategic targets. The speedy miniaturisation and deployment of sensor-equipped satellites imply that real-time surveillance is not restricted to superpowers– it’s accessible to any nation or non-public entity with the suitable funding.
The geopolitical stakes
With area now a key battleground for each financial and army dominance, nations are scrambling to safe their positions. The proliferation of area entry brings new gamers into the combo, making it more durable to control and management potential threats.
The extra nations that acquire entry to area, the extra the world must contemplate the implications of weaponised expertise, Schingler prompt.
As extra nations and personal firms push ahead with satellite tv for pc launches and deep-space exploration, the truth of area as a dual-use area will solely intensify. The problem is discovering methods to foster innovation with out fueling an arms race that extends past Earth’s ambiance.
