Current Science Classroom: The New Space Race

This chapter examines the dynamic of the major actors in today's new space race. The initial space race featured nation-states as the primary actors. However, the current space race has undergone privatization and now features corporations as additional key players, along with developing nations. The result is the semi-private commoditization of a public good that crosses through different hemispheres, as well as competition between actors from both the firm and state level. Building on world systems theory and institutional theory, this chapter argues that the privatization of space exploration mandates the construction of inter-hemispheric institutional frameworks that apply globally. A descriptive case study that juxtaposes India and SpaceX offers foundational insight into how inter-hemispheric institutions are created. Given the challenging parity between state sovereignty and global consensus and its influence on firm behavior, this chapter proposes an exploratory examination of the processes and strategic choices behind inter-hemispherization to incite future scholarship.

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China, Japan, and the Governance of Space: Prospects for Competition and Cooperation

International Relations of the Asia-Pacific ◽

10.1093/irap/lcaa007 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saadia M Pekkanen

Keyword(s):

Outer Space ◽

Asia Pacific ◽

Technical Competence ◽

Competition And Cooperation ◽

High Profile ◽

Space Agency ◽

Space Race ◽

New Space ◽

China And Japan ◽

Space Activities

Abstract China and Japan are among the world’s top space powers, with significant technical competence in both conventional and ‘newspace’ capabilities. Since the early 1990s, each country has also taken a keen interest in shaping the governance of outer space activities. But they have done so in remarkably different ways, calling into question Asian states’ supposed preferences for soft and informal institutions. Japan has led the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, involving both state and nonstate participants, which is guided by a set of principles. China has opted for a high-profile formal intergovernmental design, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, with a Convention and all the trappings of a formal organizational structure. This article assesses the activities of China and Japan in the new space race, discusses how and why the design of their space governance differs, and reflects on prospects for competition and cooperation.

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