Space exploration

Is there really a nuclear weapon in space?
Is there really a nuclear weapon in space?
Alarm was raised in the media this week about a “national security threat” to the United States from Russia, ostensibly a nuclear space-based weapon. The news came after the…
Space surveillance and AUKUS: The power of awareness
Space surveillance and AUKUS: The power of awareness
Following the December meeting of AUKUS Defence Ministers, advanced space radar capabilities have emerged as a key feature of AUKUS Pillar II (pillar I relates to nuclear…
Australia and space: A step together for the whole nation
Australia and space: A step together for the whole nation
Australia’s reliance on space-based and space-enabled technologies is integral to the country’s way of life, especially in navigating the varied challenges presented by the…
Making space arms control work
Making space arms control work
Military operations and warfare on land, at sea, in the air and even in cyberspace are highly dependent on space technologies. Since the 1960s, satellites have been a key part of…
Resources in the next frontier: Australia’s role in the race to space
Resources in the next frontier: Australia’s role in the race to space
Soon, humanity will return to the Moon, aiming to build bases there before venturing on to Mars and beyond. To do so, and to become truly spacefaring and interplanetary, humanity…
The Moon: The great game on new turf
The Moon: The great game on new turf
There is something about humans and land. Even in the age of virtual reality, humans clamour for territory. When songs of hyper-globalisation were trending, Russia reinforced that…
Low Earth orbit: The next frontier
Low Earth orbit: The next frontier
Book review: The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall (Simon & Schuster, 2023) Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot stay in the cradle forever. ~ Konstantin…
Expanding the Women, Peace and Security agenda to the next frontier – space
Expanding the Women, Peace and Security agenda to the next frontier – space
The United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda reflects strong evidence that involving women in questions of peace and conflict leads to better stability. This…
A new battlefield: the need for regulations to govern Near Space
A new battlefield: the need for regulations to govern Near Space
The recent take down by the US military of a Chinese weather “spy” balloon over its national airspace has cast a spotlight on the need for regulation of the “Near Space” zone…
The sky is no longer the limit: Australia and East Asia in Space
The sky is no longer the limit: Australia and East Asia in Space
SpaceX may be the highest-profile player in the race to commercialise Space, but it is certainly not the only one. In 2021, the global Space economy was estimated at more than US…