Today, the Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat confirmed it is in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to expand its satellite launch options, a move that underscores how corporate power and state institutions are tightening their grip on the final frontier. According to Reuters, these negotiations are part of a broader trend of international partnerships in the space sector, where profit-driven companies and government agencies collude to dominate orbital real estate and telecommunications infrastructure. **The Corporate-State Space Cartel** Eutelsat, a multinational corporation with a market capitalization of over €3 billion, has long been a key player in the global satellite industry, providing services that range from television broadcasting to military communications. Its latest move to partner with ISRO—India’s state-run space agency—reveals how capitalism and statism are intertwined in the exploitation of space. ISRO, despite its reputation for cost-effective launches, is no friend of the people; it serves the Indian state’s geopolitical ambitions and the corporate interests of companies like Eutelsat. This partnership is not about scientific progress or public good—it’s about securing monopolies over the skies, ensuring that the same elite who control terrestrial resources can extend their domination beyond Earth. The space industry is a perfect example of how hierarchical systems reproduce themselves. Governments fund and regulate space programs, while corporations reap the profits, all while ordinary people are left footing the bill through taxes and inflated service costs. Eutelsat’s negotiations with ISRO are just another chapter in this saga, where the state acts as a launchpad—literally—for corporate expansion. The fact that these talks are framed as a "broader shift toward stronger international partnerships" is a euphemism for the consolidation of power among a handful of players who see space as the next frontier for exploitation. **Satellites: Tools of Control, Not Liberation** Satellites are not neutral technology. They are tools of surveillance, militarization, and corporate control. Eutelsat’s satellites, for instance, are used by governments and corporations to monitor populations, enforce borders, and facilitate capitalist extraction. The company’s services enable everything from drone warfare to the tracking of migrant movements, all while selling itself as a benign provider of communication infrastructure. The expansion of satellite networks like Eutelsat’s only strengthens the ability of states and corporations to monitor, manipulate, and profit from the lives of ordinary people. The space sector’s growth is often celebrated as a triumph of human ingenuity, but it’s really a triumph of hierarchy. The same institutions that oppress people on Earth—governments, militaries, and corporations—are extending their reach into space, ensuring that even the cosmos becomes a playground for the powerful. The idea that space exploration could be a liberatory project is a myth peddled by those who benefit from the status quo. In reality, space is being colonized by the same forces that have colonized Earth: capital and the state. **Resistance from the Ground Up** While Eutelsat and ISRO plot their next move, grassroots movements around the world are challenging the militarization and commercialization of space. From indigenous land defenders blocking rocket launches to hackers disrupting satellite communications, resistance is growing. The Zapatistas’ call to "build a world where many worlds fit" extends beyond Earth—it’s a rejection of the idea that space should be another domain for exploitation. Autonomous communities and anti-authoritarian collectives are already experimenting with decentralized communication networks, proving that we don’t need corporate satellites or state-run space agencies to connect and organize. The push for "international partnerships" in space is nothing more than a euphemism for the globalization of control. As long as space remains the domain of states and corporations, it will be used to reinforce the same systems of domination that plague life on Earth. The only way forward is to reject these hierarchies entirely and demand a space that belongs to everyone—or no one. **Why This Matters:** This deal between Eutelsat and ISRO is not just about satellites—it’s about the future of power. Every time a corporation partners with a state to expand its reach into space, it reinforces the idea that the cosmos is a resource to be exploited by the few, rather than a commons to be shared by all. The space industry is a microcosm of how capitalism and statism work hand in hand to concentrate power, whether on Earth or beyond. For those who reject all forms of authority, this is a reminder that the fight against domination cannot be limited to terrestrial struggles. The expansion of satellite networks also has dire implications for privacy, autonomy, and resistance. Governments and corporations already use satellites to surveil and control populations; more satellites mean more surveillance, more militarization, and more corporate control over information. If we allow space to become another battleground for state and corporate power, we risk losing one of the last frontiers where genuine freedom could still be imagined. The time to resist is now—before the skies are as tightly controlled as the streets below.
