Battlefield moon

The increasing militarisation of space should be of concern to every person on the planet, as the leaders of military superpowers ignore previous bilateral and multilateral agreements that were crafted specifically to avoid an arms race in the final frontier. Already capable of destroying the world several times over, the US and Russia are now hell bent on being able to do so extraterrestrially. While critics of the concept would believe it to be exaggerated and something out of science fiction, both Russia and the US have declared plans to establish nuclear power plants on the lunar surface within a decade.

Russia's space corporation, Roscosmos, aims to complete a facility by 2036 to power a joint lunar base with China. Not to be outdone, a recent US Executive Order explicitly directs NASA to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, framing the mission as essential for "American space superiority" in a strategic competition. While the technological aspects of the projects could provide sustained power for exploration, their development within explicit national security frameworks suggests that any civilian benefits will be serendipitous rather than planned.

The power contest also underscores a stark technological divide. While Russia and America are planning nuclear reactors on the moon, Pakistan's recent space 'renaissance' features launching a few new satellites for Earth observation and communications. While commendable for national development, these achievements are nowhere near the work being done in the big league of space technology.

As for keeping space a scientific playground rather than a military one, the militarisation of space is not inevitable - the Outer Space Treaty of 1966 which bans nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction from space has been signed by every known nuclear-capable nation and ratified by all of them except Iran. However, the current leadership of the US and Russia has regularly flouted international law and their own treaty obligations, prompting legitimate scepticism of their claims about their plans for the moon and space in general.