Space Diplomacy: Actors, Dynamics, Arenas. An Operational History
Space is the fourth dimension of human exploration, after land, oceans, and air. Such exploration, both human and robotic, necessarily involves the international dimension of national policies. Recent monitoring of the so-called “New” Space Economy highlights its rapid growth — a growth that cannot remain unchecked. This is demonstrated by the three most evident sectors in the exploitation of near space: launchers, satellites, and debris. The upcoming ministerial meeting of the European Space Agency, dedicated since its origins to civil space activities, will address the other essential dimension of space exploration: security, or more concretely, defence. The creation of an allied space forces command — USA, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Italy — represents the military projection of space in the name of deterrence, starting with offensive anti-satellite operations and supported in Europe by unprecedented EU investments in space security. In this context, can history offer useful insights to help us navigate what is only apparently “new” territory? This talk presents the operational history approach, which draws on national and international archives, testimonies, and simulations to provide a practical tool for practitioners of Science and Space Diplomacy — engineers, analysts, and decision-makers — through publications, web platforms, and international schools.
Speaker: David Burigana, Associate Professor of History of International Relations at the University of Padua. He has worked extensively on the interconnections between foreign policy and defence and has led several projects on the history of space diplomacy. He was Work Package Leader in the Horizon2020 project InsSciDE, has directed national PRIN projects, and co-directs international schools on Science and Techno-Science Diplomacy (University of Padua; Ettore Majorana Center, Erice). He also coordinates the “Law, Economy and Space Diplomacy” curriculum in Italy’s National PhD Program in Space Science and Technology and is Principal Investigator of the Space Diplomacy Observatory.
Introduction: Roberto Lalli (Lecturer in History of Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino)