{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/641dc4d31aec620011d33eff/68c27f610fa00b581750d827?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Ep.142 Pacific Launchpad: Space, Strategy & Sovereignty - Part-I | Marçal Sanmartí","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/641dc4d31aec620011d33eff/1765524539159-60ee06c3-9fd4-4796-9462-64696faa226c.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>In this two-part special, we explore why Fiji, among all Pacific Island nations, stands uniquely positioned to pursue a national space program, and whether this is a bold geopolitical move or an existential response to rising climate threats - with <strong>Marçal Sanmartí</strong>. From great-power competition involving India, Japan, U.S., and China to the dual-use dilemmas of satellites that serve both disaster relief and defense, this episode examines the strategic tightrope Fiji must walk.</p><p>We also tackle the big questions:</p><ul><li>Does Fiji have the legal, technical, and human capital to govern a space agency?</li><li>Can its “friends to all, enemies to none” doctrine withstand escalating Indo-Pacific rivalries?</li><li>Is there a sustainable economic model behind its space ambitions, or a looming fiscal burden?</li><li>And what ethical framework is needed before the nation takes the final leap into orbit?</li></ul><p><strong>A must-listen for anyone tracking space policy, Pacific geopolitics, and the future of small-nation sovereignty in the space age.</strong></p>","author_name":"Omkar NIKAM"}