The new space age: The race to colonise outer space
“It’s not just a boom. It’s a frenzy. Suddenly every government department is a space department in one way or another. All industry sectors somehow are dabbling in space…It truly has become a frenzy.”
– Space academic
Sixty years ago, the world watched in wonder at the dawning of the space age. Humankind’s first flights into space and the landing on the moon showed the seemingly impossible was achievable. Now we are on the brink of a new space revolution.
“I tell my kids in a hundred years, people will look back and just think that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with catching a rocket to the moon and back again, the same way my kids just get on a plane and think nothing of the technology of going anywhere.”
– Space entrepreneur
Space travel has never been so accessible. The entrepreneurial vision of business tycoon Elon Musk and his Space X business teamed with more affordable and reliable technology has resulted in a space revolution that is giving rise to a whole new world of possibilities.
“My vision of space is, I think sooner or later, there’ll be millions of people living off the planet. There’ll be cities on the moon, cities on Mars and it’ll just become a major part of the ecosystem…Everything is going to be ‘space’.”
– Space entrepreneur
On Monday Four Corners examines the extraordinary opportunities and challenges of the new space age, in which travel beyond our own planet is suddenly affordable.
“The benefit of everything being cheap is a lot more people can do it. The negative of everything being cheap is a lot more people can do it and that regulation, that control, just isn’t there because it was never envisioned to be there.”
– Astrophysicist
Those at the forefront are grappling with everything from the inherent risk of space travel to the management of space junk.
“Accidents will happen, mistakes will happen. We will have space disasters for tourists, we will have satellites colliding and triggering geopolitical tensions. That is just going to happen. So it’s the need for society, the need for people, to make sure we put checks and balances on what that possibility is and have our policy makers and scientists think of those other things to make sure we can control it.”
– Astrophysicist
Even more challenging is that nation states including America and China are already staking their claims in this new world with designated Space Forces and a growing militarisation of space.
“You are seeing a recognition now that space is contested. It’s not this serene, peaceful sanctuary that sits untouched by terrestrial geopolitics. Instead, it’s a war-fighting domain.”
– Space analyst
Where space travel was once only the preserve of government agencies, now billionaire entrepreneurs are competing to colonise the moon and to control its rich resources.
“There’s going to be a space race to the moon and I think it’s going to be a bit of a land grab.”
– Space entrepreneur
“The potential resource wealth on the moon and in near-earth asteroids is huge. Whilst there’s legal and regulatory arrangements to try and manage that, there’s no law against it. So, it’s a case of how we mine the moon and near-earth asteroids, and what we do with those resources.”
– Space analyst
As science fiction becomes science fact, the challenge will be to see if humankind has learned the lessons of life here on earth.
“This is a pivotal moment for us to be thoughtful about how do we want to do this safely and in the right way. And in a way that reflects the best of humanity going forward. Because we can’t go back and fix it.”
– Astronaut
It is replayed on Tuesday 1st September at 10.00am and Wednesday 2nd at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iView and at abc.net.au/4corners.
