Plus: Build the moon base, but don't lose sight of Mars
By Dan Robitzski
Welcome back to our weekly newsletter highlighting the opinions and perspectives of the SpaceNews community.
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It's time for European nations to embrace smaller, more flexible military coalitions in space, according to a commentary by RAND Europe Space Hub analyst Aleix Nadal. He argued that Europe, independently of broader international coalitions, "lacks the operational mechanisms and integrated command structures needed to compete, deter and, if necessary, fight in a contested orbital environment."
"Operationally, the irony is striking," Nadal wrote. "Even as European countries pursue greater defense autonomy elsewhere, their most advanced space cooperation continues to occur within U.S.-led frameworks such as Operation Olympic Defender and the Combined Space Operations initiative."
In his article, Nadal argues that Europe shouldn't withdraw from broader military and security alliances, but that it needs to build up a stronger European pillar of its own, ensuring sovereignty and minitateral cooperation within the continent.
Read the full SpaceNews opinion article here. |
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Sending humans to Mars and establishing the first long-term human presence on the moon should not be treated as competing priorities. Instead, lunar exploration and colonization should be framed as a critical stepping stone and testbed for future crewed missions to Mars, according to an opinion article by Chris Carberry, CEO of Explore Mars, Inc. and Jennifer Rochlis, president and CEO of Advancing Frontiers.
"This does not mean that the moon is of lesser importance than Mars," they wrote. "It means that as we explore the moon, build infrastructure and conduct logistics, conduct science experiments, conduct human health studies and utilize lunar resources, we must apply these experiences (when applicable) to our mission planning for Mars."
Otherwise, Carberry and Rochlis warn, we may find ourselves with an outpost on the moon but otherwise no closer to Mars missions than we are now.
Read the full SpaceNews opinion article here. |
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Illustration representing NASA's moon-to-Mars ambitions. Credit: NASA
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SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community’s diverse perspectives. Whether you’re an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion (at) spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. If you have something to submit, read some of our recent opinion articles and our submission guidelines to get a sense of what we’re looking for. The perspectives shared in these opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent their employers or professional affiliations. |
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