ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that commercial enterprise lies at the centre of the market-driven capitalist global system in which the space race was ‘won’ by the USA and through which space activity has flourished for the last seven decades. It notes that throughout the history of space activity, commercial interests have always been involved in projects, national agencies, and intergovernmental consortia, at different times taking on greater and lesser roles. The Communications Satellite Act of 1962 was a piece of national USA legislation, which aimed to bring together an intergovernmental consortium under the auspices of the USA’s leadership and it set the scene for the use of a mixed-market approach to space. As globalisation and market liberalisation took hold throughout the 20th century, regulation was put in place to ensure the legality of operations on the global stage, and to ensure the continued spread. The new global race for space takes place on several different tracks.
