Space
On December 20, 2019, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) was born! This was a solid indication that – even though most of us probably don’t think about it often – space is becoming increasingly significant in terms of both our national security and everyday lives. As the Economist warns:
The next 50 years will look very different. Falling costs, new technologies, Chinese and Indian ambitions, and a new generation of entrepreneurs promise a bold era of space development.
It will almost certainly involve tourism for the rich and better communications networks for all; in the long run it might involve mineral exploitation and even mass transportation. Space will become ever more like an extension of Earth – an arena for firms and private individuals, not just governments. But for this promise to be fulfilled the world needs to create a system of laws to govern the heavens – both in peacetime and, should it come to that, in war.