US Space Force is Global Catalyst for Transformation of Space Into ‘An Arena of War’

The Boeing CTS-100 Starliner’s maiden mission may have been a failure in multiple areas, but that did not stop NASA from putting a congratulatory spin on the costly endeavor and, according to two experts, will not dull Washington’s enthusiasm to pour more tax dollars into the militarization of space.

Prof. Karl Grossman, a professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury; and Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, joined Radio Sputnik’s Loud and Clear on Thursday to give their thoughts on the Starliner’s botched voyage and how it parallels to the US’ long-term goal of militarizing space. 

https://www.spreaker.com/user/radiosputnik/saying-no-to-the-militarization-of-space_24

“Starliner hit the bullseye. It landed exactly where it was supposed to,” a NASA commentator said during a broadcast following the spacecraft’s full return to Earth. 

Despite NASA and Boeing’s shared enthusiasm, in reality, the spacecraft completely failed its primary mission: docking with the International Space Station. 

Grossman explained that while accidents do indeed happen, “in terms of rocket launches, one out of a hundred fail catastrophically,” and the issue is not always necessarily mechanical. 

Even with this 1 in 100 failure rate and the potential for a catastrophic event, “there’s this big push to build nuclear-powered rockets for quicker trips to Mars,” Grossman said. 

Gagnon argued that between the failures of missions such as the Starliner’s and the formation of the United States’ Space Force, the US’ sixth military branch, through the recent signing of the 2020 National Defence Authorization Act, “they have to pretend that everything is OK with these space technology operations.” 

“The relevant US actions are a serious violation of the international consensus on the peaceful use of outer space, undermine global strategic balance and stability, and pose a direct threat to outer space peace and security,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters on Monday. 

“Russia has always been and will remain opposed to the military use of space,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month. “Leading nations of the world are actively developing modern space systems for military use … and the United States, in particular, is openly regarding space as a war theatre.”

Nevertheless, Washington maintains that it must continue to “maintain American dominance” on every front.

“The US is pushing the world, headlong, into making space an arena of war, and other countries will not stand for it,” Grossman contended. 

The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

Sourse: sputniknews.com