The race is on for the mega-capitalists to eat up the rest of the universe, creating the cosmic space economy, and the empire of Star Wars:
https://theconversation.com/india-has-it-right-nations-either-aim-for-the-moon-or-get-left-behind-in-the-space-economy-121497
“In 2018 382 objects were launched into space. By 2040 it might easily be double that, with companies like Amazon planning “constellations”, composed of thousands of satellites, to provide telecommunication services.
The satellite business is just a start. The next big prize will be technology for “in-situ resource utilisation” – using materials from space for space operations. One example is extracting water from the Moon (which could also be split to provide oxygen and hydrogen-based rocket fuel). NASA’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, has suggested Australian agencies and companies could play a key role in this. All up, the potential gains from a slice of the space economy are huge. It is estimated the space economy could grow from about US$350 billion now to more than US$1 trillion (and as possibly as much US$2,700 billion) in 2040.”
Like most gee whiz tech things, this sounds good on paper, but we need to ask, where it will lead, and who benefits? The “who” is the 1 percenters, aiming now for literally infinite wealth and power. If we have a problem with them now, then if all goes to plan and the world lasts until 2040, on their model, then their power will also grow exponentially, and that is simply frightening. We will be locked into the iron cage of technocracy.