Space has become critical for both military operations and essential civilian services. At the same time, great-power rivalry is intensifying, and competition over positioning in space is increasingly shaping geopolitics on Earth. Norway possesses capabilities and geographical advantages that make it strategically important to its allies, but these same factors also increase the country’s exposure.
NSPACE will analyse how Norway can best navigate a more competitive space environment, with particular attention to geopolitics, the High North, and Norwegian vulnerabilities and strategic opportunities. The project will provide in-depth insight into a domain of growing importance for both military and civilian actors and will generate knowledge directly relevant to Norwegian authorities’ strategic assessments in the years ahead.
“Space is no longer a distant technological domain. Space infrastructure and security policy are now intertwined in ways we only partly understand. It has become an integral part of national security and international politics. Norway holds a unique position in the North that offers opportunities but also makes us vulnerable. For research, this raises new questions about how power, cooperation, and interdependence are shaped. With NSPACE, we aim to help fill important knowledge gaps in our understanding of these processes,” says project leader Niels Nagelhus Schia.
This project is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.
