What a future in space looks like
[Applause]
today
i want to tell you a bit about an
exciting future
that isn’t getting the attention it
deserves
it’s about the future of space and its
economic potential
already the return of investment from
space
is about 400 billion dollars
by 2030 it is estimated that it will be
about
1.4 trillion dollars
and that is just limited to
satellite-based
support system if we include space-based
resources like lunar resources and
asteroid mining
it is estimated to be in the trillions
of dollar
my work is at the nexus of international
relations
grand strategy and space policy
how i pick this particular academic
discipline
can be traced back to my upbringing in a
very small
rural mountain town in north east india
growing up i had access to my father’s
library
which consisted of exciting and very
deeply philosophical books on world
politics
international relations the scramble for
africa
colonialism and its impact on society
and i was
deeply inspired to follow and continue
with that kind of study now growing up
in northeast india had another very
distinctive advantage
during the monsoons we would lose power
sometimes
to the tune of a month because your
poles broke because of landslides
but that had the advantage for a child
because i got access to the night sky
without the distraction of artificial
lights
including moonlight and starlight and i
was deeply inspired and in awe
today when i navigate the world of
international relations space governance
space policy
including testifying at the u.s congress
i am reminded of those nights often
since 1999 when i started my phd
in international organization from
jawaharlal nehru university new delhi
to becoming a research fellow at india’s
premier think tank
the institute for defense studies and
analysis to today when i’ve started my
own consultancy
my academic philosophy is based on an
inclusive methodology
which is means it’s interdisciplinary so
i study international relations
but i also study ethnic conflicts
conflict resolution
and conflict transformation the theme of
this event is fearless
i want to tell you all a story from my
own life in which i needed to be
fearless
during field work and collection of data
in one of the most
remotest areas in the india-burma border
my vehicle in which i was traveling was
taken into custody
without my consent by an indian armed
secessionist group
who questioned me for four hours about
my work
and why i was there at that time i knew
i was at great risk
but something within me told me that i
have to be fearless i have to remain
calm
and answer their questions in the end
they let me go
in fact they apologize for taking me
into custody without consent
and they said i am their sister and so
that
kind of life and that kind of work is so
important to understand as we shift into
space as well
when i shifted to the united states i
was encouraged
to basically look at space and space
policy by a colleague of mine
who told me that my expertise in
international relations
will help me understand what countries
like china
india and u.s were doing in terms of
space policy
and space governance now coming back a
bit again to the concept of fearlessness
based on which i had to take up a very
new field
i learned about fearlessness from my
father
a man who was orphaned at a very young
age
and yet with his dedication and his
passion he was able to make something of
his life and give us a good life
that kind of motivation and that kind of
concept
is so important for all of us in that
same
vein of inspiration i want to tell you a
story again from my own life
one day i got a call from a very young
student
a female student who told me that she
would like to come and see me in my
office
so when i met her she revealed that she
actually
wanted to give up her life and her
career in terms of
looking at international relations and
academics
because of the fact that she faced
prejudices
in terms of her sex however at her
lowest
ebb and her lowest point she saw me on a
panel
talking about the kind of work she’s
interested in and being able to defend
positions that she thought was valuable
to her
and she said that that inspired her the
fact that another woman
would see me with inspiration deeply
humbled me and deeply affected me
you could also be a part of such a story
you could also use your life as an
inspiration for someone else
who is at their lowest end helping them
to rise like a phoenix
in fact when i think of space policy and
space study
don’t you think a rocket is also like a
phoenix that rises up
against the gravity pull of earth which
does not want to let it go
and yet it needs that kind of
inspiration and force to get into the
night sky
space is pretty inspirational and pretty
exciting
in fact during the cold war we all know
from our history
is that space was all about competition
and great power rivalry
in fact at that time if you remember it
was that particular
beautiful night in october 1957
that humanity’s destiny and
understanding of themselves
changed forever with the blip blip of
sputnik in 1957
to the landing of humans on the force on
the
on the lunar surface for the first time
in 1969
however today the discourse on space has
changed
it’s not just about rivalry and
competition
space today is seen as something that is
going to offer access to humanity
to the resources that are there in the
inner solar system
understanding the limits of our world
being humble about it
opening access to space for those
billions who want to go there
is the discourse that affects societies
and states today professor wang shiji
the founder of china’s orbital rocket
tells it best he says that humanity will
one day
panic when we run out of fossil fuel
and that is why humanity and states
need to collectively invest in renewable
energies like space-based solar power as
well as the energies that are available
in the solar system
now space-based solar power is a
technology that envisions and aspires
to collect sunlight in space because
it’s 24 hours
and does not suffer from the problems of
weather
space has already changed the lives of
people around us
and you can see that in fact when you
use your gps to go from one point to the
other
you’re helping in reducing global
emissions
space helps you monitor your climate
space helps you monitor
weather education e-commerce
you can name it it actually helps
societies who do not have access to the
kind of internet and privileges we have
especially in the developed world now it
is in that vain
i would like to tell you a bit about
what countries are doing in space
so for example i’ll tell you a bit about
what china is doing in space
including asteroid mining now professor
john
lewis the author of mining the sky tells
you
that there are resources out there that
humanity needs to access and learn to
extract
for example he tells you about a very
small asteroid
three five five four amum which is
actually just a mile
in length but has resources to the tune
of
20 trillion dollars including platinum
cobalt
and iron ore so in that context china is
actually hoping to
develop their own asteroid mining
capability last week
china send up a lunar mission to bring
back lunar samples
about 51 years after the apollo landings
gave out gave us our first
lunar rocks india is also investing in a
space capacity especially india’s lunar
mission
in 2008 actually told humanity that
there could be water ice
on the lunar surface so critical for
human sustainability if you want to
become a space faring
civilization india and japan are
collaborating to go to the lunar
south pole by 2025 to prospect for
resources
the united states also has a very
fascinating space program today
in fact the artemis moon mission
is hoping to land humanity’s first
woman on the lunar south pole and the
next man
the air force research laboratory is
investing in the concept called
space-based solar power
as well as the u.s naval laboratory
now it’s not just great powers like
china india or the us that are investing
in space
smaller countries like uae and
luxembourg are hoping to
construct and develop space governance
regimes that are inclusive and diverse
in fact african countries have started
their first african space
mission and african space agency last
year
supported and mandated by the african
union
i feel deeply humbled and fortunate to
be able to share my research
across the world to students global
communities that are interested in an
inspirational future
including the young space generation
advisory council
that are young people wanting to go to
space to include diplomats and students
from africa
asia latin america australia
and so and and finally i would say in
that particular context that i also am
so fortunate to be able to talk to the
young lieutenants
of the united states space force and air
force who wants to actually
secure space for humanity
my work is to craft the most inclusive
vision for humanity in space
however given my expertise in
international relations
i would be remiss if i did not tell you
the possibility of differences
take for example the lunar south pole
you can have country a
that lands there and establishes a zone
of non-interference and a mining
facility
now think of if a country b wants to
land there as well
and country a refuses to give permission
that could lead to differences
and that kind of space governance
regimes based on legality is missing
today in the academic discourse
and that is why my work is basically
motivated
to fill in that particular gap the outer
space treaty
signed in 1967 between the u.s the ussr
and the united kingdom
and has been ratified by 110 countries
today
talks about prohibiting the weapons of
mass destruction in space
but does not tell us how to share
resources
for example if you go up and own
property how are you going to share it
with others given the fact that the
outer space treaty tells us
in article 1 that space is the province
of mankind
the word mankind is legally used in the
outer space treaty
to conclude i would say that it is in
the critical juncture of our lives today
that space has become so critical for
everything we do today including at the
time of covet 19.
we do not want a repeat of the age of
imperialism
and colonization that negatively
affected societies
but we also do not want to limit future
generations and
billions of people around the world who
are inspired
by space and want to have access to it
so my work is about building inclusive
futures
i think you can do it too you can build
futures that talk about inclusivity
diversity not just ethnic diversity but
also knowledge diversity which is so
important
the way we go forward no matter what
obstacles kind might come my way
i’m going to continue my work in this
particular field
especially to represent the voices in
technology
and space that are not heard let
us democratize space thank you
[Applause]