Alessandro Gili
Research Fellow at the ISPI
Centre on Geoeconomics and
at the Centre on Infrastructure.
THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT
Space is a contested domain for its very nature and today
it is evidently becoming an increasingly important enabler
of economic and military power. An increasing number of
actors, infrastructures and technologies deployed in space
also raises concerns for safety and security, especially in
cyberspace. Many countries are striving to achieve space
capabilities and autonomous access to space, and this is
having a tremendous geopolitical impact, especially since
space is emerging as an increasingly critical military and
strategic domain. The development of the new space
economy, which is increasingly involving the private sector
and many industrial actors and services, will also be a
game changer for the international economy. The space
race likewise implies disruptive technologies that could
contribute massively to the energy and digital transitions,
accelerating solutions that could benet humanity. A new
international governance system for space is therefore
needed urgently, considering that the current rules are
no longer able to respond to a sector evolving at such
a rapid pace. Which actors are leading the race? Which
economic sectors could benet the most and what could
the new space economy mean for the world? How is
space emerging as a military domain against a backdrop of
increasing international tensions? What would a new system
of global governance for space look like?
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THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT
Geopolitics and Economics
of the New Space Race
edited by Alessandro Gili
introduction by Paolo Magri
Founded in 1934, ISPI is
an independent think tank
committed to the study of
international political and
economic dynamics.
It is the only Italian Institute
– and one of the very few in
Europe – to combine research
activities with a signicant
commitment to training, events,
and global risk analysis for
companies and institutions.
ISPI favours an interdisciplinary
and policy-oriented approach
made possible by a research
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an international network of 70
universities, think tanks, and
research centres.
In the 2020 “Global Go To Think
Tank Index Report” edited by
the University of Pennsylvania,
ISPI ranked rst among 153
Italian think tanks. ISPI was
also chosen as “Centre of
excellence” for topping one of
the categories of the ranking
for three years straight,
in 2018-2020.
