In 2024, a record\u00a02,849 objects<\/a>\u00a0were launched into space. The commercial satellite industry saw global revenue rise\u00a0to $285 billion<\/a>\u00a0in 2023, driven largely by the growth of SpaceX\u2019s Starlink constellation.\u00a0Private space companies such as<\/a>\u00a0SpaceX have played crucial roles in making space more accessible globally.<\/p>\n Developing countries have also made strides. Since 2018, nations like\u00a0Bangladesh,<\/a>\u00a0Ghana,<\/a>\u00a0Nepal,<\/a>\u00a0Rwanda,<\/a>\u00a0and Sri Lanka have launched their first satellites. The African space scene has grown, with 43 satellites launched since 2016,\u00a0totaling 63<\/a>\u00a0in 2025. Ethiopia, despite being one of the world\u2019s poorest countries, has made significant progress in space activities. Similarly, Rwanda, with a substantial portion of its population\u00a0living in poverty<\/a>, has embarked on its space journey. These advances show that barriers to space entry are declining.<\/p>\n While the democratization of space is a positive development, it has introduced complex challenges, particularly an ethical quandary that I call the \u201cdouble dual-use dilemma.\u201d The double dual-use dilemma refers to how private space companies themselves\u2014not just their technologies\u2014can become militarized and integrated into national security while operating commercially.<\/p>\n Unlike the traditional military-industrial complex, space companies fluidly shift between civilian and military roles. Their expertise in launch systems, satellites, and surveillance infrastructure allows them to serve both markets, often without clear regulatory oversight. Companies like Walchandnagar Industries in India, SpaceX in the United States, and the private Chinese firms that operate under a national strategy of the Chinese Communist Party called Military-Civil Fusion exemplify this trend, maintaining commercial identities while actively supporting defense programs. This blurring of roles, including the possibility that private space companies may develop their own weapons, raises concerns over unchecked militarization and calls for stronger oversight to preserve space as a neutral domain.<\/p>\n Dual use of space companies.<\/strong>\u00a0Countries like the United States and China have already shown a willingness to use commercial space entities for military purposes. China encourages private entities to participate in space activities as part of its\u00a0Military-Civilian Integration Strategy.<\/a>\u00a0Similarly, the 2021 United States\u00a0Space Priorities Framework<\/a>\u00a0outlines how new commercial space capabilities and services can be leveraged to meet national security needs. In a 2021\u00a0interview<\/a>, the then-head of the US Space Force discussed the importance of using the space industry for national security.<\/p>\n Researchers and security analysts are increasingly concerned that the dual use of private space companies is not limited to their space technologies, such as the satellites they launch. In some cases, a company may appear to be a civilian space entity while actually maintaining close links with defense sectors.<\/p>\n For instance, take the example of India, which has seen phenomenal growth in its space sector in recent years. The leading companies of the Indian Space Association\u00a0have worked closely<\/a>\u00a0with the Indian Ministry of Defence on various contracts.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the association\u2019s leadership maintains a close connection with the Indian army and defense organizations. For example, the first chairman,\u00a0Jayant Patil,<\/a>\u00a0was also the senior vice president for defense business at Larsen and Toubro, an Indian company involved in the space industry. The company has collaborated with India\u2019s Defence Research and Development Organisation since the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n The usefulness of space companies goes beyond their existing technologies. Military organizations can use expertise gained through civilian cooperation programs to develop other critical technologies. India\u2019s intercontinental ballistic missile program, based on the SLV-3 vehicle,\u00a0was initially developed<\/a>\u00a0under civilian space cooperation with NASA. India\u2019s\u00a0Agni-V ICBM<\/a>, which is capable of carrying multiple warheads and has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers, has also benefited from technological cooperation with NASA.<\/p>\n
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