Giacomo Paolini
The strategic transformation of outer space Economic, Geopolitics, and Future Implications.
Rel. Alfonso Pagani, Marco Petrolo. Politecnico di Torino, Master of science program in Engineering And Management, 2025
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Abstract
This thesis explores the evolution of outer space as a strategic domain. Once reserved for scientific exploration, space is now essential for technological development and increasingly congested. The advent of satellites has revolutionized telecommunications, while the decreasing cost of access to orbit has fostered a growing commercial sector, with key players such as SpaceX and OneWeb accelerating private involvement. For global powers, space represents a strategic priority, not just technologically, but geopolitically. Unlike the Cold War-era Moon race, which focused on peaceful goals, today’s advancements reflect a more competitive approach. The idea of space as a global commons is eroding, giving way to rivalry and national interests.
This shift has led to the militarization and weaponization of space, from dual-use technologies to the development of anti-satellite (ASAT) and kinetic weapons, officially defensive, but raising global concerns over their real purpose
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