Original Sin: Power, Technology and War in Outer Space

Space technology was developed to enhance the killing power of the state. The Moon landings and the launch of the Space Shuttle were mere sideshows, drawing public attention away from the real goal: military and economic control of space as a source of power on Earth.

Today, as Bleddyn E. Bowen vividly recounts, thousands of satellites work silently in the background to provide essential military, intelligence and economic capabilities. No major power can do without them. Beyond Washington, Moscow and Beijing, truly global technologies have evolved, from the ground floor of the nuclear missile revolution to today's orbital battlefield, shaping the wars to come. World powers including India, Japan and Europe are fully realizing the strategic benefits of commanding Earth's 'cosmic coastline', as a stage for war, development and prestige.

Yet, as new contenders spend more and more on outer space, there is scope for cautious optimism about the future of the Space Age-if we can recognize, rather than hide, its original sin.

ISBN-13: 9780197677315

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Publication Date: 02-01-2023

Pages: 256

Product Dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.60(d)

Bleddyn E. Bowen is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Leicester, specializing in space policy and military uses of outer space. The internationally recognized author of War in Space, he consults on space policy for institutions including the UK Parliament, the European Space Agency, and the Pentagon.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Contents
Common Abbreviations
Introduction
Argument


PART I: The Original Sin of Space Technology
Chapter 1: The Dawn of the Global Space Age
The Thermonuclear Revolution
U.S. and Soviet Missile Origins
Hidden in Plain Sight: Militarized Space
Original Sin and Empire
Conclusion


Chapter 2: Beyond Bipolarity
From the Wreckage: European Decline and Integration
Japan: Indigenous Rocketry and U.S. Influence
China: Nuclear and Missile Primacy
India: Economic Development and Military Latency
Conclusion


PART II: The Maturation of Spacepower
Chapter 3: Applied Witchcraft and Technical Wizardry
Seeing and Hearing from Orbit
Imaging Beyond the Superpowers
The Fires of War
Conclusion


Chapter 4: Tethers of Modernity
Planetary Webs
Spying on Space
Guided by Navstars
Conclusion


PART III: Strategy in the Global Space Age
Chapter 5: Spacepower at War
The Road to the 'First Space War'
A Revolution in Military Affairs?
Russian and Chinese Modernization
Entanglement and Responding to Spacepower Integration
Conclusion


Chapter 6: Arsenals for Space Warfare
Space Weapons
Terrestrially-based ASAT Weapons
Space-based Weapons
Conclusion


Chapter 7: War on the Cosmic Coastline
Deterrence and Space Arms Control
The Banality of the Ultimate High Ground
Commanding the Cosmic Coastline
Conclusion


Conclusions: Anarchy in the Global Space Age
Bibliography
Books
Book chapters
Journal Articles
Reports, Documents, Primary Sources, Theses, Presentations
News/Magazines/Websites Show More