Dr. Nikola Schmidt (born 1982 in Prague, Czech Republic) was, while working on this project, a research fellow at the Institute of Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Czech Republic and currently heads the Center for Governance of Emerging Technologies at the Institute of International Relations, Prague, Czech Republic. He studied sociology at Charles University Prague (BA), and international relations and security at the Metropolitan University Prague (MA). He received his PhD from Charles University in 2016. He participated in a European Space Agency and NASA-funded planetary defense team project organized by the International Space University in 2015. The subject of his professional interests varies between international relations theory, science and technology studies with focus on space, and cyber and the general relation between technology, politics, and global governance. This book is a result of a multidisciplinary project he led for 4 years with participation from astronomers, space engineers, international lawyers, and political scientists. The objective was to devise a strategy for planetary defense and asteroid mining policy as key topics of a cosmopolitan responsible state. He has edited and authored a number of recent works, including the Springer volume Planetary Defense: Global Collaboration for Defending Earth From Asteroids and Comets, as well as articles in Acta Astronautica, Space Policy, New Space, Alternatives, and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Prior to re-entering academia, he founded and led two software development companies and worked on a nongovernmental organization-driven food facility project in Afghanistan.
1. INTRODUCTION
Nikola Schmidt
2. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
2.1. Cosmopolitan responsible state in space politics
Nikola Schmidt
2.2. Cosmopolitan theory and policy practicePavel Dufek
2.3. International security regimes and near-future large technology systems
Nikola Schmidt, Ondrej Ditrych
2.4. Prospects of cosmopolitan politics in the light of current international space law
Nikola Schmidt, Martin svec
2.5. Cosmopolitan visions under critical sight of realistic geopolitics
Bohumil DoboS
3. SPACE PROJECTS WITH POTENTIAL TO ENABLE COSMOPOLITAN GOVERNANCE
3.1. Planetary defense
Petr Bohácek
3.2. Space miningMartin svec
3.3. High-energy systems
Nikola Schmidt
3.4. Orbital debris
Nicol Svárovská
4. TECHNOLOGY READINESS AND SMALL STATES CONTRIBUTIONS
4.1. Asteroid observation and planetary defense
Petr Pravec, Jirí Borovicka
4.2. Asteroid prospection and space mining
Martin Ferus
4.3. High-energy systems today and tomorrow
Miroslav Krus
5. CONCLUSION
Nikola Schmidt