Alongside military operations on the battlefield, since the first hours of the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, both actors have employed space orbits as a complementary domain in which to conduct deterrence actions, in order to obtain a strategic advantage over the enemy. In this regard, despite outer space already having played a major role in previous conflicts, the Russian-Ukrainian war presents relevant elements of novelty in the use of space orbits as a realm of confrontation. Markedly, the involvement of private space corporations in war marks a significant watershed, opening new scenarios for governments, space agencies, and armies that traditionally own the monopoly of satellites either for civilian or military purposes. By adopting a descriptive methodology, this article investigates the outer space dimension of the conflict in Ukraine and the role of U.S.-based space private entities in support of Kyiv’s government, to evaluate whether a tangible possibility for outer space as a prospective military battlefield exists. This article further intends to review the eventuality of a nuclear device deployment in outer space and to depict the possible outcomes of military operations on Earth. For this purpose, an evaluation of the space weaponization trend and the consequent geopolitical competition among major space powers is conducted.

The outer-space dimension of the Ukraine conflict. Toward a new paradigm for orbits as a war domain? / Chabert, Valentina. - In: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. - ISSN 0022-197X. - 2:75(2023), pp. 145-156.

The outer-space dimension of the Ukraine conflict. Toward a new paradigm for orbits as a war domain?

Valentina Chabert
2023

Abstract

Alongside military operations on the battlefield, since the first hours of the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, both actors have employed space orbits as a complementary domain in which to conduct deterrence actions, in order to obtain a strategic advantage over the enemy. In this regard, despite outer space already having played a major role in previous conflicts, the Russian-Ukrainian war presents relevant elements of novelty in the use of space orbits as a realm of confrontation. Markedly, the involvement of private space corporations in war marks a significant watershed, opening new scenarios for governments, space agencies, and armies that traditionally own the monopoly of satellites either for civilian or military purposes. By adopting a descriptive methodology, this article investigates the outer space dimension of the conflict in Ukraine and the role of U.S.-based space private entities in support of Kyiv’s government, to evaluate whether a tangible possibility for outer space as a prospective military battlefield exists. This article further intends to review the eventuality of a nuclear device deployment in outer space and to depict the possible outcomes of military operations on Earth. For this purpose, an evaluation of the space weaponization trend and the consequent geopolitical competition among major space powers is conducted.
2023
Ukraine conflict; war; outer space; low earth orbit; private corporations
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The outer-space dimension of the Ukraine conflict. Toward a new paradigm for orbits as a war domain? / Chabert, Valentina. - In: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. - ISSN 0022-197X. - 2:75(2023), pp. 145-156.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1686279
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