Regulation of the Development Process Systems of Information and Telemetry Support for the Development of Launch Vehicles

It is shown that the most prominent shortcomings of the existing general sectoral scientific and technical policy for the development of means of information and telemetry support (ITS) of development of launch vehicles are manifested in the absence of a systemic and dominance of subjective and fragmentary approaches, as a result of which the software and hardware (SW&HW) of the telemetric complex (TC) of a space launching site are redundant, but not invariant to the current ITS problems. At the same time, the loss of information during launches of spacecraft (SC) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) due to the influence of harmful factors of a different nature are comparable to the losses experienced during the 60s–70s of the 20th century. Under these conditions, a systematic approach is relevant and, accordingly, the regulation of the development process of domestic systems for information and telemetric support for the development of launch vehicles (ITSDLV). The main regulatory tools are the official concept of development of ITSDLV and the corresponding system of telemetry standards. The scientific and methodological foundations of their construction, based on the results of past research, are presented. The features of the solution of current and future organizational issues for the maintenance and development of the aforementioned concept and system of standards by the forces of the proposed working group are shown.

North Korea’s Science and Technology Policy and the Development of Technology-Intensive Industries

The North Korean government declared a pursuit of the Military-First Policy and the Ideology of Focusing on Science and Technology in the late 1990s. It thus made science and technology central to its goal of the Establishment of Strong and Prosperous State. North Korea came to perceive science and technology as engines for promoting both nuclear armament and economic development. The switch of policy attention to science and technology has facilitated the development of some selected technology-intensive industries. In 2017, North Korea declared that it had completed development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Although North Korea’s development of hi-tech arms including nuclear bombs and ICBMs appears inconsistent with its low level of economic development, it can be understood in light of the North Korean government’s emphasis on science and technology and prioritization of the allocation of resources to defense.

5. Nuclear deterrence and arms control

Did the nuclear revolution contribute to an era of peace? ‘Nuclear deterrence and arms control’ looks at the post-World War II stalemate and Cold War détente. The concept of deterrence did not come up until the second decade of the nuclear age. The introduction of thermonuclear weapons and nuclear-tipped, long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles turned foreign policy on its head. Mutual deterrence was less of a policy than a reality. With the Cuban Missile Crisis, Moscow mounted a show of defiance at a moment when it was relatively weak. The Carter and Reagan administrations were beset by external and internal disagreements, but prudence and luck prevailed.

Hypersonic arms alter US-Russian threat perceptions

Subject Hypersonic missiles and their implications. Significance Russia and China claim to have hypersonic weapons with near-global reach, capable of delivering nuclear warheads with certainty and overcoming US anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defences designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The implication is that both countries are ahead of the United States in the technology race. Impacts Hypersonic technology poses a new challenge just as the future of the New START arms treaty is due for renewal in 2021. While the Kremlin highlights future hypersonic weapons, broader procurement of new defence systems is lagging. US and Chinese designers are investigating potentially cheaper methods of accelerating artillery shells to hypersonic velocities.

Space Security Law

The use and exploration of space by humans is historically implicated with international and national security. Space exploration itself was sparked, in part, by the race to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), and the strategic uses of space enable the global projection of force by major military powers. The recognition of space as a strategic domain spurred states to develop the initial laws and policies that govern space activities to reduce the likelihood of conflict. Space security, therefore, is a foundational concept to space law. Since the beginning of the Space Age, the concept of security has morphed into a multivariate term, and contemporary space security concerns more than just securing states from the dangers of ICBMs. The prevalence of space technologies across society means that security issues connected to the space domain touch on a range of legal regimes. Specifically, space security law involves components of international peace and security, national security, human security, and the security of the space environment itself.

Trump talk will exacerbate North Korean insecurity

Significance Although North Korea’s nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are still rudimentary by international standards, Pyongyang’s threats of striking targets in the continental United States have more credible technological underpinnings than before. The development of North Korean ICBMs threatens to ‘decouple’ Washington from Seoul and Tokyo, whereby US security commitments to allies become less credible because Pyongyang could attack the US homeland. Impacts Budget battles in Washington preclude extensive investment in mainland US ballistic missile defence systems. However, further integration of Japan and South Korea into the US regional missile defence network is likely. State Department vacancies for ambassadorships and Washington-based Asia policy officials will hinder US reassurance efforts. US interception of North Korean smuggling vessels or overflying missiles risk military-to-military armed clashes.

Introduction

And what would be the purpose of all this? For those who have never known the relentless urge to explore and discover, there is no answer. For those who have felt this urge, the answer is self-evident. —Hermann Oberth, Man into Space, 1957 The rise of private-sector spaceflight and American billionaires pursuing their ambitions in space seems to be a new phenomenon. After the origin of space exploration as a government enterprise during the Cold War Space Age, entrepreneurs and individuals have become a new force on the scene and are increasingly the drivers behind some of the most prominent space activities. In the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union developed intercontinental ballistic missiles to deliver their nuclear warheads, creating the technology for satellites and spaceflight vehicles. The race into space then became an important dimension of the Cold War as the two superpowers competed vigorously to be the first to claim prestigious spaceflight achievements, culminating in an American victory with the successful expedition of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the surface of the Moon. After the unmatched success of the Apollo program, with no political need for further spectaculars, NASA was downsized, spaceflight was confined to low-Earth orbit, and further exploration was confined to robots. Since then, NASA spaceflight projects have continued to advance our knowledge of the solar system and the universe ...