ABSTRACT
Space programs are costly, typically invoke strong feelings of national pride, and often are undertaken in the context of strategic competitions with foreign rivals. Not surprisingly, these programs frequently take on a partial or even a predominant military dimension. Such dynamics certainly characterized the so-called 'first space age' of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, making close cooperation difficult to achieve. 1
In the emerging post-Cold War space environment, Asian countries-among them China, India, Japan, and South Korea-have played an increasingly prominent role. The motives of these countries to date have been different from those of the superpowers, putting a greater emphasis on domestic political aims, commercial and developmental motivations, and regional strategic goals, compared to geo-strategic military competition. Indeed, most of these programs did not begin as military efforts and have had significant histories with an exclusively (or largely) civilian orientation. However, these seemingly favorable factors have begun to change in the past decade, with all of Asia's major players developing significant military space applications, and at least one, China, actual space weapons.
