On April 10 at 13:00 Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion titled “Star Wars Again? Space and Geopolitics.”
Twenty-two years after the first manned space flight by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the Ronald Reagan administration launched the Strategic Defence Initiative. Thanks to its space components and technology, it was named “Star Wars.” The programme was never implemented, but its development prompted a number of scientific studies that are still under development today.
Space technologies are penetrating intelligence, communications, and operations management more and more. Almost all military campaigns of the last three decades have reflected the increasing role of the space component. The current conflict in Ukraine provides proof of this. At the same time, new players are emerging in the space arena. If the USA and the USSR (Russia) used to dominate there, now China and India are playing an increasingly active role.
What are the current trends in space exploration? What role do anti-missile, anti-satellite and nuclear space programmes play in national projects? Why, compared to the Cold War period, is space activity fading into the background both in politics and in culture? The participants of the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
Speakers:
Andrey Klepach, Chief Economist of VEB, Advisor to the General Director of the State Corporation Roscosmos
Nayak Shailesh, Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (India)
Alexey Shelobkov, General Director of ICS Holding, General Director of BUREAU 1440
Moderator:
Ivan Timofeev, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club
Working languages: Russian, English.
Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our web site. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763
Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VK, Telegram and Dzen.