Space exploration has a "we" problems

Issue #405: Last week was World Space Week, and I took the opportunity to remind you of what "we" (more like, powerful countries and companies) are doing in space and who it benefits or harms what they do there.

Also this week: Thousands detained in protests in India, Indigenous groups in Brazil and Bangladesh fight for self-rule, Cameroon's most overcrowded prison and its artists, a Japanese rapper's love letter to his grandma, and so much more.

This newsletter has been edited by Jonathan Ramsay.

Who has been to space? And who benefits from what "we" do there?

What happened:
Last week was World Space Week.

Background:
The UN General Assembly formally established World Space Week in 1999 through resolution 54/68. They chose October 4 to 10 because of two important anniversaries: Sputnik 1, the first human-made satellite to orbit Earth, was launched on October 4, 1957, and the "Magna Carta of Space" (an international legal agreement organizing who can do what in space) entered into force on October 10, 1967. World Space Week is a week to inspire people to study space, build public support for space programmes, and encourage countries to work together on space education.

Why this matters: What happens in space is determined by a few powerful countries and companies. What they decide to do there affects everyone, including those who have little or no say in those decisions.

Who has been to space?
According to Al Jazeera, at least 746 people from 52 countries have been to space, from career astronauts to paying tourists. Some hold dual nationality, and some flew for countries that no longer exist, such as the Soviet Union. Here's a detailed breakdown. Most people have been from the U.S. (369) and Russia (and Soviet Union; combined 138). China comes third (29).

Of these 746 people, 112 have been women (about 15%). In recent years, more women have been going to space but mostly because of commercial flights.

Most of these 746 people were in their 30ies or 40ies on their first flight. The youngest was 18, the oldest was 90.

What are we doing in space?
Space launches were once mainly run by a few governments. Today, more than 80 countries have put satellites into orbit. Commercial companies, universities, and startups are now taking part, too. Sometimes they work together to pay for a space mission, as well as build spacecraft or scientific equipment.

Space exploration serves different purposes. For example:

• Using satellites to help with everyday services worldwide (not just the countries funding big space programmes), such as GPS, weather forecasts, television, internet, and communication. Investigative journalism also benefits. Critical read: These are pretty essential services. If a country depends on foreign satellites, decisions about prices, access, or service interruptions can affect its people.
• Doing scientific research in space. Scientists study living cells, materials, fluids, and the effects of spaceflight on the body. For example, they're studying muscle and bone loss in space, and manufacturing materials (like high-quality ZBLAN fibers) that are difficult to produce on Earth.
• Sending robots to explore planets, moons, asteroids, and other places. These robots can look for evidence of or conditions suitable for life, help protect the planet from asteroids, and sometimes bring samples back to Earth.
• Preparing to send people back to the Moon. Currently, this is what the U.S. is focusing on with NASA's Artemis programme (the European Space Agency helps out; suppliers of Artemis include Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin). The next moon landing will probably be in 2028. China wants to send people to the moon by 2030.
• For wars and surveillance. Major military space powers like the U.S., China, and Russia invest in military satellites and tracking systems.

Some billionaires want to do other things. For example, Elon Musk wants to build a city on Mars so some people (those with a lot of money mostly) can live on more than one world. Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, wants millions of people to live and work in space.

Who actually benefits?
Sure, one could say, 'well, everybody.' But it's a bit more unequal than that. Here is why:

• Public or private money? The International Space Station (ISS), a huge lab floating 400 km above Earth where astronauts live and do scientific experiments, is a publicly supported research infrastructure. It is paid for by taxpayers in about 15 countries, and most of the money comes from the U.S. While it is publicly supported, commercial companies (can) use the ISS to study technologies that might eventually become profitable products they then sell to us.

  • Good to know: The U.S. plans to retire the ISS around 2030, meaning space stations will then be built and operated by private companies. NASA (and other space agencies, or anyone else for that matter) would then rent space in space.
  • New development: On October 9, 2026, NASA issued a new request for proposals inviting U.S. companies to submit plans for future commercial space stations. Plainly, this means that U.S. taxpayers are essentially helping to finance the development of privately owned space infrastructure.

• Who owns discoveries made in space? It depends on so much: research agreements, who is funding it, which laws of what country apply....