Nick Dowson
@nickmdowson.bsky.social
Co-Editor @ New Internationalist magazine | Investigations, public services, the climate crisis, the politics of technology Bylines at publications including the Guardian, the Ferret, the Moscow Times, Bristol Cable. Likes a good book.
The new space race promises a future among the stars, but as billionaires pursue dreams of Mars, profit and power, are they creating a future for humanity, or sacrificing the only planet we have? Astronomer Lucian Walkowicz (@notnotrocketscience.com) writes for New Internationalist.
Space: the billionaires’ playground
As tycoons like Elon Musk attempt to seize space for profit, the Earth is being trashed, writes astronomer Lucian Walkowicz.
newint.org
Get the facts on the New #SpaceRace from our latest issue. Subscribe for instant digital access, or purchase a single print issue from our very own Ethical Shop. newint.org/issues/2026/...
Oh go on then, here's a flick through of some of the @newint.bsky.social pages
Please check it out at a.nin.tl/spacerace and if that leaves you intrigued, you can get a copy with a discounted subscription, using the code SPACE20 for 20% off
The New Space Race
Find out more about the New Internationalist magazine's issue focused on the growing role of billionaire's and the military in space.
a.nin.tl
Been reading my copy - fascinating, but worrying 🚀
In other words: space is increasingly central to business, war and geopolitics – and the tech billionaires are trying to divide up the pie there, too.
Myself and a stellar crew of contributors – @notnotrocketscience.com , @peterjhowson.bsky.social and William J Astore – unpacked what’s going on in space for the latest issue of the New Internationalist magazine: The New Space Race, For All Billionaire-kind.
That project too could surpass the trillion dollar mark according to independent estimates, and includes proposals to put ‘space-based interceptors’ around our planet – weapons in space that might also be usable as bombs.
Share prices have since predictably slid, meaning that millions are not just unwittingly owners of the sometime Nazi chatbot Grok but also likely victims of another transfer of wealth to Musk.
Rules were specially changed to fast-track the company into the NASDAQ index, triggering automatic buying by a range of funds including pensions.
Shares confer not just a sliver of ownership of SpaceX’s profitable launch and satellite internet business – sectors where it dominates – but also its heavily-loss making social media and AI subsidiary, xAI.
This essay traces how US policy lets private firms profit from publicly funded space development, how legal loopholes and token lunar contracts normalize property claims, and how satellite expansion strains orbital environments. By @nickmdowson.bsky.social in @newint.bsky.social
Who owns outer space?
A new space race between billionaires and global superpowers is set to worsen inequality, extend conflict, and harm the environment. But there is another way, argues Nick Dowson.
buff.ly
That sentence carried a lot of zeroes – as did SpaceX’s Initial Public Offering in June, a spectacle of financial engineering, that saw it join stock markets for the first time.
The AI hype is even making its way into space. Earlier this year the world’s ‘favourite’ billionaire – trillionaire? – Elon Musk announced proposals for his SpaceX to put a million data centres in orbit. #space #musk #AI #politics #inequality
The AI hype is even making its way into space. Earlier this year the world’s ‘favourite’ billionaire – trillionaire? – Elon Musk announced proposals for his SpaceX to put a million data centres in orbit. #space #musk #AI #politics #inequality
American soldiers to receive gender-affirming care www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
Hegseth touts a high-testosterone military, as doctors question his claims
The defense secretary said the Pentagon will test the testosterone levels of troops 30 and over. It was unclear if the plan would affect women or military fitness rules.
washingtonpost.com
👩🏽🚀 At the event we'll hear from astronomer and activist @notnotrocketscience.com , researchers @peterjhowson.bsky.social and @rekapatriciagal.bsky.social and from the Rio Grande, Texas, Juan Mancias and Christopher Basaldu of the Carrizo/Comecrudo nation.
Get ready for launch!
As billionaire tech titans turn space into their playground, the rest of us are getting left in the dust. Meanwhile, Earth’s skies fill with debris and the stratosphere is scorched by rockets. The lat...
a.nin.tl
🚀 I'm proud to see this issue come out - and will be hosting a launch event here in Newcastle to celebrate it on Monday, 5-6pm! 🧃We'll have not only an amazing panel, but also a Q&A and refreshments 🎟️If you're in the area, please see more details and register for a free ticket at a.nin.tl/launch
Get ready for launch!
As billionaire tech titans turn space into their playground, the rest of us are getting left in the dust. Meanwhile, Earth’s skies fill with debris and the stratosphere is scorched by rockets. The lat...
a.nin.tl
New Internationalist@newint.bsky.social · 4w agoBillionaire tech titans are spearheading a new space race while they litter Earth’s skies with their debris. As the likes of Elon Musk rake in the dollars, our new magazine examines the privatisation and militarization of space, and what’s at stake for people and the planet. a.nin.tl/spacerace
🚀 I'm proud to see this issue come out - and will be hosting a launch event here in Newcastle to celebrate it on Monday, 5-6pm! 🧃We'll have not only an amazing panel, but also a Q&A and refreshments 🎟️If you're in the area, please see more details and register for a free ticket at a.nin.tl/launch
Get ready for launch!
As billionaire tech titans turn space into their playground, the rest of us are getting left in the dust. Meanwhile, Earth’s skies fill with debris and the stratosphere is scorched by rockets. The lat...
a.nin.tl
New Internationalist@newint.bsky.social · 4w agoBillionaire tech titans are spearheading a new space race while they litter Earth’s skies with their debris. As the likes of Elon Musk rake in the dollars, our new magazine examines the privatisation and militarization of space, and what’s at stake for people and the planet. a.nin.tl/spacerace
As a new space race looks set to worsen global inequality and extend conflict, we have a choice: see space as a place for all humankind, or leave it to the rich and powerful to exploit. From our new magazine, Nick Dowson asks: Who owns the skies? read more at newint.org/corporations...
'New Internationalist refuses to treat the Global South as a backdrop. That editorial courage is not something one finds easily.' After 50+years of global justice journalism, our magazine is at serious risk of shutting down. Please support us at newint.org/give #MoreThanAMagazine #SaveNI
#Lebanon: "We join with the IFJ and unions across the globe in condemning without reservation the repeated targeting by Israel of media workers." #pressfreedom
NUJ condemns the killing of three journalists in Lebanon
The NUJ has joined the IFJ in condemning the targeted killing of three Lebanese journalists in an Israeli drone strike on a media car in Jezzine, southern…
buff.ly
Spot on @johnharris1969.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The right’s callous overdiagnosis bandwagon is rolling. Wes Streeting should not be on it | John Harris
Thankfully, we now know more about conditions such as autism and ADHD. The health secretary must not be part of this attempt to turn back the clock, says Guardian columnist John Harris
theguardian.com
NHS private finance diverts money away from healthcare, towards the pockets of private shareholders. Cat Eccles MP’s motion can force the government to drop their NHS private finance plans from the Autumn Budget. ✉️Take 2 mins now to email your MP to sign the motion and protect patients.
TRUMP [after spending 5 minutes with Zohran]: surplus value, it’s a very wonderful thing, very wonderful, and they’re stealing it. Can you believe that? We’re going to be looking very strongly at the bourgeoisie, what they’re up to
NOVEMBER NEWS CLUB! On 13 Nov, contributor Lily Lynch joins us for an exclusive discussion on the UN's role in ending the war in Ukraine. FREE tickets for NI subscribers, £5 for others. Tickets include FREE access to our recent issue on The UN at 80 #UNDay www.tickettailor.com/events/newin...
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