Speaking about satellites in the land of astronauts

I’ve just touched down in Columbus, Ohio – a state which has produced more astronauts per capita than any other state. Fittingly, today (Thursday 7 October 2021), I’ll be giving a talk at The Ohio State University in the Asian Futures program on China’s polar satellites and how they may enable the country to influence Arctic and global governance.

In 2019, China launched its first satellite dedicated to observing the cryosphere, BNU-1 (Ice Pathfinder). In 2022, it will launch synthetic aperture radar satellites to monitor Arctic shipping routes. These technological advances will generate more than just pretty pictures. They will endow China with the ability to increasingly produce, control, and own its own satellite data rather than rely on imagery produced by the US and Europe. This remotely sensed data can be leveraged not only to produce more basic science, but applied science as well. As demand for policies based on science and hard evidence rises, especially in places like the Arctic, countries in control of relevant useful data may find their influence growing. In other words, it is not just territorial sovereignty that matters: data sovereignty does, too.

You can register to watch the talk online here.

The Ohio State University has also produced large amounts of groundbreaking polar, cryospheric, and climate change science in recent decades. The university is home to the Byrd Polar Center, named after the American polar explorer and naval explorer Richard Byrd. On Friday, I’ll be attending the center’s annual symposium on climate change research at OSU, which is also available to join online.

Register here. And, if you’re in Columbus, come say hi at one of the two events!