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Concerns have been raised about the possibility of a Space Race 2, with the United States and China outlining nearly identical plans to get humans to the Moon and Mars over the next decade. But Dr Bleddyn Bowen of the University of Leicester says the real threats are much closer to us. The expert on space warfare, space politics and international relations in the cosmos revealed to Express.co.uk the vulnerability of key satellites in low Earth orbit and the implications of their tampering.
He said, “I have separated manned space flight programs from the more military and economic threats that are occurring in Earth’s orbit now.
“Manned space flight does not have a convincing military logic, it is not strategically relevant.
“It is useful for demonstrating that something can be done and for stimulating the high-tech industry and advancing space science.
“In terms of the actual geopolitical competition now occurring in low Earth orbit, it will take another 100 years before it happens there.
Joe Biden will have to restore relations with China (Image: GETTY)
China recently launched a probe to Mars (Image: GETTY)
“Earth’s orbit is where you will see geopolitics happen – it is a very crowded environment and many different states must learn to work together and not get in the way of each other unless they want to.”
Dr Bowen says there is a chance that situations will arise at a given time of day, with more than 2,500 satellites scattered across space.
He added: “Space traffic management will be a big problem in orbit, who gets the right of way if two satellites are getting close to each other?
“Radio frequency spectra are another area where there is a finite spectrum and international telecommunications must distribute it to those who request it: it has become a geopolitical trade fair.
“This is where the geopolitics of space takes place, the Moon and Mars have to worry about future generations.
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NASA plans to send humans to Mars (Image: NASA)
“Any conflict in space will be part of a conflict on Earth – space warfare is the continuation of terrestrial politics.
“There are so many different ways that could happen, but GPS is a key example and this is a military system for US and NATO partners.”
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite radio navigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the Space Force.
It is one of four global satellite navigation systems (GNSS) that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on Earth.
Initially limited to use by the US military, civilian use has been permitted since the 1980s following an executive order from President Ronald Reagan, and now its NATO partners, including the UK, rely on GPS .
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GPS is a vulnerable system in low earth orbit (Image: GETTY)
China could wipe out the system in a conflict (Image: GETTY)
The other three systems are operated by the EU with Galileo, the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and the Chinese BeiDou navigation satellite system.
Dr Bowen added: ‘If there was a war between China and the United States, we could expect GPS to be harassed or interrupted by electronic interference or computer hacking, or they could just wipe it out with missiles.
“There are options for China, but we would suffer the terrible consequences because we also rely on civilian infrastructure.
“The GPS could be disabled if China and America were fighting for Taiwan, for example, you can’t untangle a conflict in orbit from Earth, that would be very serious.
“If war is likely, then space war is likely, and the big question is whether mutual assured destruction still prevents that from happening.”
With Joe Biden winning the US election, Dr. Bowen warned that he could face such a threat as soon as he holds the keys to the White House next year.
GPS is a vital system used by NATO partners (Image: GETTY)
He added: “The prospect of thermonuclear war is still there, but Biden has many reasons to argue with Xi Jinping, you never know how a new president will treat the larger states on the international stage.
“They could develop a better relationship with some leaders and their officials, but with Biden he campaigned not to be [Donald] Trump.
“The agenda is not always set by the United States, it will deal with the situation presented – relations between the United States and China are low.
“Things have taken a downward spiral and other countries have their own will, including Xi Jinping and the rest of the Chinese elite.
“Taiwan can also do things that could trigger a crisis, which Biden will have to respond to, we just don’t know until it happens, Biden will react as much as setting the agenda.”
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