Outer space imaginaries: deconstructing the privatization-securitization nexus

Outer space is increasingly the site of political tensions. At the same time, the growing role played by private actors in space creates opportunities and challenges for defence and security. This article aims to unravel how outer space imaginaries influence the practice and decisions regarding outer space (security) governance. Adopting a deconstructive approach informed by critical geopolitics, it identifies dominant and competing discourses about outer space that are underpinned by material and ideational factors. We demonstrate how, in combination, these discourses have shaped practices by various actors of the space community and normalized a highly technical approach to challenges, solutions and governance, contributing to a ‘privatization-securitization nexus’ in outer space.