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Description

Space beyond geostationary Earth orbit, particularly cislunar space, is emerging as a strategically significant domain for national security, governance, and long-term competition. This paper introduces the concept of "Space Frontier Areas" to describe regions of space, including xGEO and the Earth–Moon system, where operations remain limited in scale but increasingly consequential. It argues that current strategic thinking about these areas is overly bipolar, framing activities as either near-term security concerns or long-term economic opportunities, thereby constraining nuanced policy choices. To address this limitation, the paper proposes an analytical framework organized around four strategic purposes—prestige, governance, security, and resources—that can be weighted according to their immediacy and importance across different time horizons. Drawing on expert interviews and qualitative analysis, the framework demonstrates how reducing zero-sum thinking can improve strategic coherence. This approach enables more realistic assessments of risk, prioritization, and resource allocation as space operations expand beyond near-Earth orbit.

Document Type

Strategic Perspectives

Topic(s)

Military Strategy, National Security, Space

Publication Date

1-2026

Publication

INSS Strategic Perspectives

Publisher

National Defense University Press

City

Washington, D.C.

Keywords

Space Frontier Areas, Cislunar Space, Beyond Geostationary Orbit (xGEO), Space Strategy, Spacepower, National Security Space, Strategic Competition, Space Governance, Military Space Operations, Space Domain Awareness, Earth-Moon System, Lagrange Points, Space Resources, Prestige and Power Projection, Emerging Space Domains

Understanding Space Frontier Areas: Strategy in Cislunar Space and Beyond

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