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War on the Rocks ·Future-gazing

The Road to Space Runs Through the Poles

by David Marsh

Published 2026-05-27 07:30:17+00:00

Why are there more satellite antennas on a frozen island with more polar bears than people?

0:00 / 17:36 · Narrator Rasalgethi

Context

Rebecca Pincus and David Marsh point to a cluster of islands a thousand kilometers from Norway where polar bears outnumber people. Their essay, published on 27 May 2026, shows how the future of satellite technology depends on these icy fringes of the map. While the world looks upward at rockets, a quiet strategic struggle is happening on the ground at the poles. The way nations manage the Arctic and Antarctic right now might be the only working model for keeping the peace in orbit tomorrow.

Show notes

High-latitude ground stations and launch sites in the Arctic and Antarctic provide the primary infrastructure for satellites in polar orbits. Strategic competition between the United States, China, and Russia now centers on these regions and the dual-use technology they host. Existing polar governance models offer a potential template for new international agreements to manage the military and commercial use of outer space.

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