Space Policy for the Twenty-First Century by Wendy N. Whitman Cobb and Derrick V. Frazier. University of Florida Press, 2024, 344 pp.
Space Policy for the Twenty-First Century blends political science, science and technology, international relations, and history. The book is a much-needed review of space policy when the domain is seeing growth and a surge in apprehension and excitement. It describes the historical path that the United States and other prominent nongovernmental and governmental actors have taken to arrive at the crucial point for shaping space policy for the century.
Authors Wendy Whitman Cobb and Derrick Frazier, both professors at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, are prominent strategists in their field and have well-established backgrounds in the space domain. They argue that there is a constant ebb and flow of actors, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the US military, commercial entities, international actors, other US government agencies, and of course, Congress and the president. Throughout space policy, historical events, national security, and the rise of independent actors—such as private space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin—have shaped, or in some cases not, how policy is determined, and all actors are vying for influence within the space policy realm. The historical precedent established by the Soviet Union and the United States in the Cold War formed a large part of space policy in the past. Yet in the future, the United States’ leadership role in space may be challenged, not only by other state actors but also by influential commercial actors who may not necessarily have democracy in mind.
The book’s thesis is well supported by historical examples illustrating how the United States and Soviet Union handled early space policy with each other and within their governments. The authors detail every actor within the US government and the implications for space policy, their interactions, and the decisions made throughout history that impacted today’s space policy. The book offers significant strong points regarding these actors and their choices as well as how outside influences shaped them—all written in a way that enables a space policy novice to understand the web of entanglement that characterizes its development. Presidents, the national security apparatus, citizen interest, the geopolitical and commercial environment, and democracy all figure into the United States’ space policy approach.
Finally, prominent outside actors, like Russia and China, are highlighted throughout the book in critical moments that helped shape US policy, including during cooperation and competition events. The authors’ assessment implies that the current US space policy is led by diverse actors who desire different outcomes. The United States may struggle to align these actors to continue leadership in the space domain. Additionally, the United States is at a critical period in some key areas of the space domain, such as satellite technology and space exploration, where commercial entities rather than the US government are in a position to establish space norms. For example, commercial actors such as SpaceX are in a position in some disciplines to establish norms.
For this reason, the United States must come to a more comprehensive policy that addresses these actors and their use of space for commercial activities, one that does not necessarily limit their activities but rather retains space as a cooperative domain for all people of Earth and that approaches future US space activities from a democratic government-led angle versus a commercial one. Such a policy must also balance the risks of US competitors with such activities without surpassing US leadership of space politically, conventionally, and commercially. Finally, the obvious limitation of this space policy analysis is the classified nature of all national security programs, which restricts some of the insight that the authors can provide. Yet this does not detract from their analysis, and the broad picture provided to the average reader does not change.
Given the disarray of current US actors and policymakers for space and the lack of a unified and clear direction in space policy, this book accomplishes quite a feat in dissecting the entire space policy apparatus, from the president down to nongovernmental organizations. Space Policy is certainly worth reading for policymakers, national security actors, historians, space enthusiasts, and space domain operators. It does an excellent job of ensuring that the reader—no matter their field—understands the policy system, foundational international relations theories, and actors. Actors within the space discipline will understand how their field of work is shaped and how we as a civilization have arrived at this point. Excerpts from this book should almost certainly be foundational reading for US Space Force Guardians operating within the space domain.
Still, the book would benefit from a more effective use of acronyms. Throughout the book, acronyms are used quite liberally, sometimes without definition—for example, acronyms that appear early in the book reappear without explanation many chapters later, which can be confusing to readers.
More significantly, although the book provides insight into the many different space actors other than the United States, given China’s current rise in the space domain, it would benefit from a longer touch on China in the final “Major Issues” chapter. Contemporary actions by China are described but are not detailed. This is partly understandable given the classified nature of such operations; however, as the authors are undoubtedly aware, there is a swath of unclassified information on China’s actions in space. For example, China’s major space policy endeavor, the Spatial Information Corridor—part of its Belt and Road Initiative—is not mentioned.
Ultimately, I wholeheartedly recommend Space Policy for the Twenty-First Century and appreciate its efforts to consolidate space policy for the greater national security apparatus.
Master Sergeant Patrick G. Pineda, USSF