| (Copyright 2024) by Joseph B. Baity (Charlotte, North Carolina) |
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 On September 8, 1966, the National Broadcasting Company aired the first episode of Star Trek, opening with the now iconic phrase: “Space, the final frontier,” promising to take viewers “where no man has gone before.” Indeed, for the next three television seasons, the show sought to exploit the increasing interest in the “space race”—the international competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to be the first country to land a manned spacecraft on the moon and safely return it—and the men aboard—to the Earth. The American program ultimately experienced unprecedented success, resulting in the first-ever moon landing in July 1969. However, it was the Soviet launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, on October 4, 1957, that kicked off the competition and inaugurated the Space Age. In the sixty-seven years that followed, more than ninety nations—dominated by the U.S., China, and Russia—have launched nearly 7,600 additional satellites, many of which still function and orbit our planet today. Satellite technology is increasingly critical to worldwide communications, global positioning systems, the Internet, aviation and maritime traffic (private, commercial, and military), power grids, food production, water systems, banking, television, and more. With an additional 25,000 satellite deployments estimated by 2031, the final frontier is getting crowded—and according to most observers and experts, dangerous as well. Amateur and professional stargazers complain about the proliferation of satellite traffic, particularly in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which obscures the celestial bodies they seek to study. Other scientists fear the heavens are so crowded that inevitable malfunctions or navigational errors could lead to collisions that impact earthly infrastructure and create hazardous debris. Recently, the International Space Station in LEO had to dodge debris thought to have been created by a Chinese anti-satellite missile test gone awry. Reports also suggest a similar stunt initiated by the Russians, which leads us to a more pressing concern—the growing militarization of space. Every modern military relies heavily upon satellite technology for operations in reconnaissance, command and control, and navigational guidance for precision weaponry. According to Juliana Seuss, research analyst and policy lead for space security at the Royal United Services Institute of London: “From the very start, space was used for military purposes. We’ve definitely seen a sort of renewed focus on it now.” In a January 31, 2024, article published by The Economist, Admiral Christopher Grady, Vice-Chairman of America’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, explains, “Space has emerged as our most essential warfighting domain.” With geopolitical situations on the ground heating up around the globe, so is the race to develop more advanced space-based satellite systems and weaponry. Predictably, the U.S. Department of Defense assesses Russia and China as the most significant challengers to America’s decades-long military dominance in outer space. Emphasizing the growing threats to civilian, military, and commercial space systems, ABC News of Australia recently published an article, “With more ‘unfriendly behavior’ and new weapons, the world is preparing for war in space.” In it, Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Aerospace Security Project, observes: Space is a contested environment and space systems are under threat like never before. That China and Russia are honing techniques and technologies for attacking space systems should be no surprise. Unfriendly behaviors in space, such as unusual maneuvers by Chinese or Russian military satellites near U.S. or European satellites, happen regularly, and often, without acknowledgement. The U.S. has committed billions of dollars to its “Space Force,” a nascent addition to its military. Recent reports hint that Russia is developing space-based nuclear weapons. At the same time, China just deployed a robotic spacecraft capable of navigating up to and around geostationary satellites, with nefarious potential. All sides admit to additional top-secret projects that increase the likelihood of high-tech clashes in the heavens that threaten civilization on the ground. However, the U.S., China, and Russia are not alone in their quest to develop satellite systems for military purposes. Daunting are the reports that the first-ever ballistic missile strike on a ship at sea came from Houthi rebels (with assistance from Iran) and that North Korea is collecting reconnaissance photos and data on Washington, DC, with its very own satellite. These reports also indicate how relatively inexpensive the new satellite tech is and, compared to yesteryear, how easy it is to implement. Mankind’s ventures into space have not only provided us with technological advances, amazing conveniences, and exciting stories but, sadly, also another avenue for violence among nations (Matthew 24:7). Most observers now believe that the next world war’s first shots will take place in or from space. With our extreme reliance upon satellite systems to maintain and secure most of our civilization’s critical, day-to-day activities that ensure our way of life, the entire planet is increasingly vulnerable to disastrous consequences—without a single shot fired on the ground—with little or no warning (Ecclesiastes 9:12). While the potential for disaster on earth originating from space is troubling, God’s elect should continue to look to the heavens and the earth as our final (and eternal) frontier. If we continue preparing for God’s universal Kingdom, we will go where no mortal has gone before at the return of our Captain and King, Jesus Christ! ———————————————————————————————————- See Joseph B. Baity’s other articles at: Baity, Joseph B. – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: Church of the Great God https://www.cgg.org/ ———————————————————————————————————– |
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