Когда национальная безопасность и собственность в опасности даже на Луне и ОЛП

[Veganin]

https://spacenews.com/nurturing-uk-expertise-strategic-imperative-emerging-space-era/

Nurturing U.K. expertise: a strategic imperative in the emerging space era
Shonnel Malani May 1, 2024

The space race of the 1950s and 1960s, epitomized by the Apollo 11 moon landing, ignited a generation's fascination with space exploration, turbocharging developments in technology. Fast forward to the present and the space ecosystem is changing: once a domain accessible only to governments, space now affects nearly every aspect of life on earth.

The successful landing of India's Chandraayan-3 on the lunar south pole last year showed the growing international competition to seize an advantage in space. In this era, the victors will be the nations that spearhead innovation through the pursuit of skills.

Investment in the global space sector has grown from $300 million in 2012 to over $10 billion in 2021. The reduction in commercial space exploration costs has enabled investors to seek out emerging space industries such as mining, debris removal and energy production. In addition, the proliferation of satellites — with nearly 7,500 orbiting Earth and an average of fifty new ones launched weekly — is delivering technological advancements that underpin integral parts of daily life, from ride-hailing services to an array of entertainment options.

Growing geopolitical tensions on earth, and a requirement to possess strategic advantage, are driving ventures into space. Adversaries are actively pursuing capabilities that could disrupt critical infrastructure or even pose direct threats. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson brought this point home all too well earlier this month when he alerted Capitol Hill to China's deliberate concealment of military initiatives in space under the guise of "so-called civilian space programmes." This came after several security analysts reported that China and Russia are both engaging in worrisome and "unfriendly" space activities. In the face of this activity, it is clear that without robust investment in space capabilities, nations risk ceding strategic advantage.

So how does the United Kingdom respond? Investments in strategic capabilities show that the role of the private sector in space is only going to grow. But while private capital plays a role in driving success, it is clear in my mind that a nation's success lies in acquiring the skills and infrastructure to understand and develop innovative technical capabilities. To achieve this, the government must embrace academia, capitalize on private investment in the sector and continue to foster partnerships among the three — and seek opportunities to strengthen them in areas where they are weak.

To remain competitive, the U.K. must maximize its equities: its talent pool, world leading infrastructure and access to export markets. Bolstered by a robust foundation that sees the U.K. space sector employing nearly 49,000 individuals, contributing 5.9 billion pounds ($7.41 billion) to exports, and showcasing unparalleled productivity. Acknowledging this basis, the U.K. Space Agency recently announced a new headquarters and four regional facilities. In addition to fostering local talent and employment opportunities, these locations will allow the Agency to work more closely with the U.K.'s booming space sector to achieve ever-more ambitious missions and capabilities. The decision of the U.K. government to invest 10 million pounds ($12.6 million), which joins 40 million pounds of private investment to date, in SaxaVord Spaceport, the first and only licenced vertical launch spaceport in Europe, is just another indication of this boom. With this in mind, and if strategic investment keeps up this pace, the country is well-positioned to become a science and technology powerhouse by 2030.

This drive is being spearheaded by Science, Information, and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, who has rightly explained that the U.K. is already at the forefront of the century's most important scientific work. But both Michelle and I know that to remain at the forefront of the global space economy and ensure national security, the challenge lies in cultivating a skilled workforce.

Recognising this imperative, the U.K. government published the National Space Strategy in Action, which commits to providing the private sector with access to an educated and skilled labour force by taking a comprehensive approach to education and workforce development.

In the immediate future, however, the U.K. faces a shortfall in STEM graduates, necessitating a substantial focus on engineering, attracting global talent, and harnessing groundbreaking technologies such as AI. In short, the space sector should embrace competition for the skills that will develop national security capability and unlock the economic benefits that space offers.

But at a time when space is assuming a heightened national security dimension, with reports of China, Russia and even North Korea working to put military capability into orbit, the race for skills becomes more urgent. The U.K.'s future prosperity and security are inextricably linked to the pursuit of advanced space capabilities and requires a renewed emphasis on collaboration.

Fostering closer partnerships between the government, the private sector and academia should be prioritized to ensure the UK possesses the skills and cultivates the talent necessary to confidently stride into the future of space exploration. Failure to do so risks the U.K. falling behind global allies and more worryingly adversaries. 

Shonnel Malani was appointed Lead Non-Executive Director at the U.K. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in April 2023. Shonnel is an experienced business leader with over 20 years' of experience in the financial and private equity sectors. As Managing Partner of Advent International, he has overseen significant investment in innovative companies across the U.K., U.S. and Europe. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of space technology company Maxar and chair of U.K.-headquartered aerospace and defense companies Cobham and Ultra Electronics.

[Veganin]

https://ria.ru/20240506/nebenzya-1944225998.html?in=t

Небензя назвал заявления Запада о сохранении космоса мирным лицемерием
ООН, 6 мая – РИА Новости. Постпред РФ при ООН Василий Небензя назвал лицемерием и двойными стандартами заявления западных стран о якобы их заинтересованности в сохранении космоса мирным.
Ранее Вашингтон и Токио подготовили проект резолюции СБ ООН, призывающий страны не разрабатывать ядерные вооружения или другие виды ОМУ, предназначенные для размещения на орбите вокруг Земли или для установки на небесных телах, а также для размещения их в космосе любым другим способом. Россия в СБ ООН наложила вето на проект резолюции – Совбез не включил в текст поправку Москвы и Пекина с призывом навсегда предотвратить размещение любого оружия в космическом пространстве, а не только ОМУ. Китай при голосовании по резолюции воздержался, 13 стран были за проект.

Как указал Небензя, выступая в понедельник в Генассамблее ООН, США и Япония так и не смогли объяснить, почему не согласились на российскую поправку.

"Ответим за них на этот вопрос сами. Они не хотят на это идти, потому что военные доктрины практически всех ключевых западных стран сейчас предусматривают военное освоение космоса. США и их союзники некоторое время назад анонсировали планы, которые включают размещение оружия, частности, ударных боевых систем в космическом пространстве, применение силы или угрозы силой в космосе, из космоса, а также в отношении космоса и его использование для поведения боевых операций", - сказал Небензя.

[Veganin]

https://spacenews.com/the-stakes-of-space-race-2-0-could-not-be-higher/

The stakes of Space Race 2.0 could not be higher
Michelle Hanlon May 7, 2024

On April 19, NASA issued a press release announcing that Slovenia had signed the Artemis Accords. Following quickly on the heels of accession by Switzerland (April 15) and Sweden (April 16), this brings the total number of signatories to the United States-led political commitment in space to a whopping 39 nations. Largely ignored by all but the media outlets devoted to space activities, these modest signing ceremonies play a tremendously significant role in the new 21st century space race.

Red Moon Rising: How America Will Beat China on the Final Frontier, a new book penned by Greg Autry and Peter Navarro puts the stakes of Space Race 2.0 in sharp focus — and they're a lot higher than national prestige and bragging rights. At the heart of this race lies China's palpable ambition, articulated by Xi Jinping, to ascend to a dominant position in space by 2045. The significance of this ambition cannot be overstated. As the adage goes, "possession is nine-tenths of the law." Under international law, no sovereign nation may claim territory in space, nevertheless mere presence will translate into superior bargaining power and influence.

Contrary to its portrayal in science fiction, space is not a lawless wonderland. There are four widely-ratified international treaties that govern space activities. They are broadly worded, suffer from internal inconsistencies and glaring gaps and are subject to varied interpretations. For example, while binding international law states that the exploration and use of outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all, it also states that a nation may not claim territory in space by any means. This is balanced by the requirement that activities in space be conducted with due regard for the corresponding interests of others. There is no legal definition for "due regard." As such, there exists a potentially serious first-mover advantage which must be understood and taken into consideration as human society's reliance on the utilization of space continues.

Autry and Navarro clearly spell out the many ways space exploration has benefited humanity. Satellites on orbit gather monumental amounts of information about our home, and have helped us in everything from tracking environmental challenges to managing crops and avoiding disasters. The future holds even more promise as we look towards in-space manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and other products that are easier to develop in microgravity than on Earth.

The authors also offer a stark warning: The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 expresses a desire that space shall be used always and only for peaceful purposes; but it does not mandate that. Thus, as Autry and Navarro detail, President Xi Jinping's Communist Party has developed space capabilities that could wreak disastrous havoc here on Earth. The book's introduction reminds readers that Chinese strategist Wang Hucheng has openly shared the Chinese acknowledgment of "America's soft ribs."

"For countries that can never win a war with the United States by using the method of tanks and planes," he says, "attacking the U.S. space system may be an irresistible and most tempting choice."

China is threatening to disable U.S. space capabilities while they are also building their own space-enabled offensive infrastructure.

As frightening as electromagnetic pulse and laser weaponry may seem, the more pragmatic threat is far more alarming. The stakes are literally access to the vast resources of the universe. In the 1960s, the winner of the space race claimed bragging rights of technological superiority. In a chapter aptly titled "The Cornucopia of the Heavens, Space Resources," Autry and Navarro speak to the many opportunities for economic growth that are supported by space assets — even by merely having a presence in orbit or beyond. But the real prize is beyond. Autry and Navarro are not being hyperbolic when they write that humanity stands on a monumental tipping point. People living today might be among the first to migrate off Earth and never return. Where will they go? To the moon, certainly, but there is a great expanse beyond that to discover and explore. We will need to use the moon as a proving ground. We can learn how to extract resources, including water, from the lunar surface. We will build installations and habitats using resources found on the moon. And the first nation to build a permanent off-world presence will likely set the terms of governance. 

Space Race 2.0 is about building the framework for the future. Having a permanent human presence on another celestial body brings with it substantial authority. The first mover will wield substantial influence over access to celestial resources and the interpretation of crucial legal principles like due regard. This is a tantalizing prize for any country that seeks to become the dominant space power. Let us hope it will be one that prizes human dignity, diversity and freedom.

Despite these challenges, Red Moon Rising is optimistic. It serves as a clarion call to action, urging stakeholders to heed the imperatives of Space Race 2.0 and actively participate in shaping a future where humanity's presence extends beyond the confines of Earth. Read Red Moon Rising and join me in celebrating every new signatory to the Artemis Accords.

Michelle L.D. Hanlon is the Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law and co-founder of For All Moonkind.

[Veganin]

https://spacenews.com/beyond-iss-america-must-lead-leo-cislunar-and-beyond/

Beyond ISS: America must lead in LEO, cislunar and beyond
Charles Bolden, Scott Pace and Bill Liquori May 15, 2024

As the International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its service life and the United States commercial space industry continues to push past old technological boundaries, America needs new orbital destinations to remain the world's leader in space.

Low-Earth orbit, or LEO, is of tremendous strategic significance. It is not only where a fast-growing number of satellites operate, but it is also where humans have lived and worked continuously on the ISS since 2000. And while the ISS is a testament to the ingenuity of humanity and the possibilities found within peaceful international cooperation, the station cannot be sustained indefinitely.

The cislunar space beyond traditional Earth orbits is rapidly gaining in strategic importance. This region, which includes lunar, lunar transfer and Lagrange orbits, is already an arena for international space competition. Returning to the moon comes with the potential commercial benefits of untapped mineral resources, water to facilitate human presence on the surface and fuel to support missions to Mars and beyond.

By the end of this decade, the U.S. and its allies could face a gap in American presence in LEO amidst a continued Chinese interest in strategic lunar geography — a scenario with implications not only for science and exploration but also for U.S. leadership and the global space economy. The loss of hard-won American footholds in space would not only interrupt today's important research, but it would diminish America's ability to shape the rules of the space frontier upon which our nation and our allies rely.

Continuous human presence in LEO space and increased cislunar presence provide the ultimate test of the policies, agreements, and operations that collectively comprise "norms" affecting everyone and everything in that environment. Without a continuous U.S. presence, we face the very real prospect of abdicating the strategic and moral high ground to nations with space ambitions hostile to American values, and the values of our closest friends and allies.

If we don't show up, we cannot lead.

This is about far more than hardware or astronauts. Crewed without interruption since 2000, the ISS has been a unique platform where complex legal and ethical issues in space have been addressed cooperatively among disparate international partners. Human spaceflight is the ultimate venue to refine the internationally accepted norms of operation. These norms, whether developed deliberately or by precedent, have enormous consequences not only for today's scientists and engineers, but for future generations who will rely on access to space — and especially those who may eventually live and work in space.

If the U.S. does not lead in LEO, other spacefaring nations will be forced to partner with China for access to the only other space station currently in existence, the Tiangong. Tiangong is continually touted in China's official press as a symbol of self-reliance and "independent innovation" — statements that represent a starkly different sentiment than the plaque America's first astronauts left on the moon announcing we "came in peace for all mankind."

We face the daunting prospect of increased Chinese influence if the U.S. lunar focus lags behind. China continues to show determined interest in critical lunar regions including the water rich south pole and the underexplored far side. China's interest extends above the lunar surface to the Lagrange points, which afford stable orbits for communication to enable far side exploration and resource return, interim gateway locations to facilitate deep space missions and increasingly important lunar domain awareness.

China's strategic maneuvers in space, from the deployment of its space station to its determined focus on critical lunar geography, to the integration of new space capabilities into military operations, signal a clear intent to challenge U.S. preeminence in and through the space domain. Their actions, coupled with aggressive developments in anti-satellite capabilities, underscore the urgency for the U.S. to maintain the strong alliances and trust built through the ISS. An American retreat from LEO would be a clear signal to others that international space leadership is up for grabs.

America can and should continue to explore and develop off-planet destinations where norms and knowledge advance together. To do so, we must deliver a seamless, generational shift, from government-owned to commercially provided orbital platforms. The burgeoning commercial space sector offers innovative and cost-effective solutions for maintaining our presence in LEO and creating a new presence in cislunar space. Collaborating with allies and like-minded nations can create a multistakeholder framework that extends the spirit of the ISS and offers necessary alternatives to the Chinese and Russian led International Lunar Research Station and other similar, future endeavors.

The retirement of the ISS and a second race to the moon can mark the beginning of a new chapter in space in which the United States continues to play a leading role. An American presence in Earth and cislunar orbits is not just about maintaining a national strategic advantage, but it is also about preserving a hard-earned legacy of guiding the cooperative development of relationships, organizations, and norms of behavior that keep space a peaceful domain with benefits for all of humanity.

The path forward is clear.

The stakes are too high, and the opportunities too great. America must lead in LEO and cislunar space as a foundation for leadership on Earth and beyond, charting a course for a boundless future that reflects common values of democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and the use of space for peaceful purposes.

Charles F. Bolden Jr. is a Major General (Ret.) of the U.S. Marine Corps, served as the 12th NASA Administrator and is Founder and CEO Emeritus of The Charles F. Bolden Group LLC.

Scott Pace is Director of the Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University. He served as Executive Secretary of the National Space Council and Associate Administrator for Program Analysis and Evaluation at NASA.

Bill Liquori is Lieutenant General (Ret.) of the U.S. Space Force and former Director for Space Policy at the National Security Council. He currently serves as a consultant, strategic advisor and board member for multiple aerospace and military focused organizations.

[Veganin]

https://ria.ru/20240520/kosmos-1947307031.html

Запад подтвердил намерение продолжать милитаризацию космоса, заявил Небензя
ООН, 20 мая – РИА Новости. Запад, не дав принять в понедельник проект резолюции РФ в СБ ООН, подтвердил свое намерение продолжат милитаризацию космоса, заявил на заседании Совбеза постпред РФ при организации Василий Небензя.
Ранее из-за позиции западных стран СБ ООН не принял резолюцию РФ о предотвращении гонки вооружений в космосе. За резолюцию голосовали Россия, Китай, Алжир, Гайана, Эквадор, Мозамбик, Сьерра-Леоне. Воздержалась Швейцария. Против были: США, Франция, Британия, Япония, Словения, Республика Корея, Мальта.

Небензя напомнил, как в апреле США и их союзники в СБ ООН "били себя в грудь", громко заверяя всех в своей приверженности мирному космосу.

"Сегодня, после того, как они подтвердили свои реальные намерения продолжать милитаризировать космос и создавать соответствующие вооружения, особенно цинично и лицемерно выглядят попытки оправдать свои действия якобы неконсенсусным характером нашего проекта", - сказал Небензя.
По его словам, Россия в целом довольна результатом сегодняшнего голосования. "Помимо цифр оно продемонстрировало водораздел между теми, кто стремится к мирному освоению космоса, а кто ведет дело к его милитаризации. Западные страны оказались сегодня, по сути, изолированы в Совете. И это симптоматично", - подчеркнул постпред.

По словам постпреда, вызывает глубокое сожаление, что эти страны сегодня не дали Совету безопасности принять взвешенное "и столь востребованное сейчас решение в пользу сохранения космоса исключительно для мирного использования".

"Таким образом, сегодня они окончательно сбросили с себя маски, саморазоблачились и предстали перед нами тем, кем они являются на самом деле", - отметил Небензя.
"Причина, по которой вы не поддержали наш проект, банальна и проста. Вы просто хотите оставить себе свободу рук для использования космоса в военных целях и размещения там любых видов вооружений", - заключил постпред.

[Veganin]

https://lenta.ru/news/2024/05/31/moon/

ООН и Международный астрономический союз приступили к «разделке» Луны
19:11, 31 мая 2024

сокращенный перевод новостного ресурса Lenta.ru

Международный астрономический союз (МАС) создал рабочую группу для взаимодействия с ООН, чтобы приступить к «разделке» районов Луны, которые перспективны либо для строительства лунных баз, либо для обсерваторий. Об этом пишет издание The Conversation.

Предполагается, что к 2035 году американские и китайские ракеты смогут доставлять людей на долговременные лунные базы. Базы будут размещены вблизи Южного полюса из-за почти непрерывного поступления солнечной энергии и обильных источников воды, которые находятся в постоянно затененных районах поблизости, внутри кратеров.

Определенные районы Луны представляют большую ценность не только с точки зрения строительства обитаемой базы, но и для уникальных астрономических исследований. Обратная стороны Луны защищена от земных радиопомех, поэтому считается подходящей для наблюдения низкочастотных радиоволн, содержащих информацию о темных веках Вселенной, когда еще не сформировались звезды и галактики. Кроме того, в лунных полярных регионах нет сейсмической активности, поэтому там можно разместить детекторы гравитационных волн, достаточно чувствительные для обнаружения пар черных дыр, которые вот-вот сольются.

Однако исследование показало, что строительство баз на Луне может препятствовать наблюдениям радиоволн и гравитационных волн из-за возможных помех и вибраций. Так, добыча воды может нарушить тонкую настройку гравитационно-волновых телескопов. Группировки спутников, которые планируется разместить на орбите Луны, могут помешать наблюдениям радиоволн очень низкой частоты.

Авторы отмечают, что существует несколько альтернативных мест для размещения телескопов. Рабочая группа МАС собирается ранжировать районы Луны по степени их важности для каждого типа телескопов и обговорить это с ключевым комитетом ООН. Это поможет астрономам, астронавтам из разных стран и частным лицам разделить естественный спутник, отмечают авторы.

[свернуть]

The rush to return humans to the Moon and build lunar bases could threaten opportunities for astronomy
Published: May 30, 2024 2.16pm CEST

The 2020s have already seen many lunar landing attempts, although several of them have crashed or toppled over. With all the excitement surrounding the prospect of humans returning to the Moon, both commercial interests and scientists stand to gain.

The Moon is uniquely suitable for researchers to build telescopes they can't put on Earth because it doesn't have as much satellite interference as Earth, nor a magnetic field blocking out radio waves. But only recently have astronomers like me started thinking about potential conflicts between the desire to expand knowledge of the universe on one side and geopolitical rivalries and commercial gain on the other, and how to balance those interests.

As an astronomer and the co-chair of the International Astronomical Union's working group Astronomy from the Moon, I'm on the hook to investigate this question.

Everyone to the south pole

By 2035 – just 10 or so years away – American and Chinese rockets could be carrying humans to long-term lunar bases.

Both bases are planned for the same small areas near the south pole because of the near-constant solar power available in this region and the rich source of water that scientists believe could be found in the Moon's darkest regions nearby.

Unlike the Earth, the Moon is not tilted relative to its path around the Sun. As a result, the Sun circles the horizon near the poles, almost never setting on some crater rims. There, the never-setting Sun casts long shadows over nearby craters, hiding their floors from direct sunlight for the past 4 billion years, 90% of the age of the solar system.

These craters are basically pits of eternal darkness. And it's not just dark down there, it's also cold: below -418 degrees Fahrenheit (-250 degrees Celsius). It's so cold that scientists predict that water in the form of ice at the bottom of these craters – likely brought by ancient asteroids colliding with the Moon's surface – will not melt or evaporate away for a very long time.

Surveys from lunar orbit suggest that these craters, called permanently shadowed regions, could hold half a billion tons of water.

The constant sunlight for solar power and proximity to frozen water makes the Moon's poles attractive for human bases. The bases will also need water to drink, wash up and grow crops to feed hungry astronauts. It is hopelessly expensive to bring long-term water supplies from Earth, so a local watering hole is a big deal.

Telescopes on the Moon

For decades, astronomers had ignored the Moon as a potential site for telescopes because it was simply infeasible to build them there. But human bases open up new opportunities.

The radio-sheltered far side of the Moon, the part we never see from Earth, makes recording very low frequency radio waves accessible. These signals are likely to contain signatures of the universe's "Dark Ages," a time before any stars or galaxies formed.

Astronomers could also put gravitational wave detectors at the poles, since these detectors are extraordinarily sensitive, and the Moon's polar regions don't have earthquakes to disturb them as they do on Earth.

A lunar gravitational wave detector could let scientists collect data from pairs of black holes orbiting each other very closely right before they merge. Predicting where and when they will merge tells astronomers where and when to look for a flash of light that they would otherwise miss. With those extra clues, scientists could learn how these black holes are born and how they evolve.

The cold at the lunar poles also makes infrared telescopes vastly more sensitive by shifting the telescopes' black body radiation to longer wavelengths. These telescopes could give astronomers new tools to look for life on Earth-like planets beyond the solar system.

And more ideas keep coming. The first radio antennae are scheduled to land on the far side next year.


An illustration of LuSEE Night, a NASA and Department of Energy radio telescope planned for the far side of the Moon. Tricia Talbert, NASA

Conflicting interests
But the rush to build bases on the Moon could interfere with the very conditions that make the Moon so attractive for research in the first place. Although the Moon's surface area is greater than Africa's, human explorers and astronomers want to visit the same few kilometer-sized locations.

But activities that will help sustain a human presence on the Moon, such as mining for water, will create vibrations that could ruin a gravitational wave telescope.

Also, many elements found on the Moon are extremely valuable back on Earth. Liquid hydrogen and oxygen make precious rocket propellant, and helium-3 is a rare substance used to improve quantum computers.

But one of the few places rich in helium-3 on the Moon is found in one of the most likely places to put a far-side, Dark Ages radio telescope.

Finally, there are at least two internet and GPS satellite constellations planned to orbit the Moon a few years from now. Unintentional radio emissions from these satellites could render a Dark Ages telescope useless.

The time is now

But compromise isn't out of the question. There might be a few alternative spots to place each telescope.

In 2024, the International Astronomical Union put together the working group Astronomy from the Moon to start defining which sites astronomers want to preserve for their work. This entails ranking the sites by their importance for each type of telescope and beginning to talk with a key United Nations committee. These steps may help astronomers, astronauts from multiple countries and private interests share the Moon.