Sarah Jones: 2023 Horizon Project
Are current space programs being done in a just and equitable manner?
I assessed two of the most well known space related companies/agencies; NASA, which is government regulated, and SpaceX, one of the most popular private companies, to determine whether the common problem of outsourcing labor to cheaper markets is present in this industry
SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility, McGregor, Tx.
Vehicle Assembly Building, Merritt City, Fl.
Conclusion
SpaceX’s primary build factory is located at its headquarters in Hawthorne, California, while the bulk of their testing and further development is done at a state-of-the-art facility located in McGregor, Texas
As a governmental agency, all of NASA’s work is done within the U.S. The Michoud Assembly facility, known as “America’s Rocket Factory”, has been the primary site for the manufacturing and assembly of large-scale space structures and systems
While the research into these companies provides valuable insight into two prominent leaders of the space exploration industry, and inferences can be made regarding the functionings of the industry, it does not reflect the entirety of the space sector of the U.S.
How do the workers feel?
NASA
A survey of around 2,500 NASA employees reveals that...
86%
would recommend working there to a friend.
89%
approve of the CEO
SpaceX
A survey of around 3,000 SpaceX employees reveals that...
71%
would recommend working there to a friend.
84%
approve of the CEO
The Ethics of Deploying Weapons in Space and Militarizing Celestial Bodies
One of the only things the U.S. and the USSR could agree upon during the Cold War was that space should be neutral territory and off limits for weapons and weapons testing.
This agreement led to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which prohibits “the stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, and details legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space" (Rusek, 2020). Unfortunately, ballistic missiles are still permitted, as the treaty only bans weapons beings launched from space, not traveling through them.
Despite being a direct creation of the space industry, the ethical issues related to extraterrestrial weapons were fortunately agreed upon by the majority of countries through their signing of the Outer Space Treaty.