ABSTRACT
The space environment has significantly changed since Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957. Today, private companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX provide launch services to earth orbit at substantially reduced costs. As the cost of access to space has fallen and the economic potential of space-based assets has been realized, space is now more congested, contested, and competitive. Increasing tensions among the great powers, particularly in space, lead to concerns about whether space-based conflict is on the horizon. Chapter 1 introduces the major themes of Privatizing Peace, including the increasing dependence of the global economy on space, the threat of weaponization, and the potential costs of conflict. Finally, it introduces a second major argument of the book that competition between space actors can lead to significant benefits including cooperation.
