Global #communication #infrastructure is at the center of a geopolitical battle as nations and corporations strategize for security and control over #underseacables, #satellite networks, and #internet access. With privately owned systems like #Starlink and OneWeb revolutionizing connectivity, security risks, ownership disputes, and the potential for strategic manipulation are key issues in a hyperconnected world.

Building space policy is hard enough. It’s harder when trying to make a future-focused policy decision based on abstract concepts. That’s really the problem with the space critical infrastructure conversation, isn’t it? When we talk about space services, we look at what we know, which is low Earth orbit (LEO), and services provided from LEO assets to Earth. We talk considerably less about cislunar travel or interplanetary travel even though there are plans for both in the less than distant future. The difference is that one is real today and one is abstract.