RESEARCH AREAS
Sustainability of space-oriented research infrastructures
Ground-based astronomy is experiencing a new era of discoveries, largely thanks to the spread of new large-scale and cutting-edge observatories across remote areas worldwide. As a new generation of space-oriented research infrastructures and systems take the centerstage, questions over the social and environmental sustainability of these remain mostly unanswered. Displaying interdisciplinary approaches rooted in urban political ecology my research investigates conflicting assemblages between the unescapable weight of material flows and the influx of compelling imaginaries of just sustainabilities and scientific progress in large observatories in Chile, South Africa and Australia. My research contributes to assess astronomy’s sustainability narratives and practices, providing feedback and social accountability to space science. In a wider perspective, my work aims to shape fair and non-colonial practices for humanity in space.
Big tech in outer space
The proliferation of privately-controlled information and communications infrastructure in outer space generates political authority for tech giants in new ways. In the Russia-Ukraine war, for instance, Elon Musk has demonstrated his ability and willingness to switch off SpaceX’s Starlink service on which military forces depend. The emergence of low Earth orbit satellite internet constellations as critical wartime infrastructure has thus translated to a private actor exercising unprecedented control over the conduct of a war between nations. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley billionaires plan to put data centers in orbit and on the moon to circumnavigate terrestrial constraints on exploding AI-driven demand for data centers. My research unpacks how the rising presence of big tech in outer space influences democracy, global governance, and planetary security. It contributes to the wealth of work on the digital political economy by exploring governance challenges distinct to the outer space environment, as humanity comes to depend more and more profoundly on internet infrastructure there.
