To support early-career researchers following the discontinuation of national starter and stimulation grants, the AISSR launched its own funding scheme: IMPULSE grants.

Impulse Spotlight

In this IMPULSE Spotlight series, we highlight the researchers behind these IMPULSE projects: what drives their work, why it matters, and the impact they hope to make.

In this edition, we speak with Diliara Valeeva about her project, which examines how the commercialization of the outer space industry is reshaping political and environmental landscapes.

In your own words, why is this research especially important at this moment?

'When a handful of tech billionaires start to reimagine outer space as their next frontier, it matters for all of us. My project asks: what exactly are they doing there, and how are they thinking about the future that the rest of us will then have to live in?'

Diliara explains that the discussions and controversy around the commercialization of space technology is exacerbated by rising geopolitical tensions. She reminds us that space technology has always also been used as a military technology, and in a time where space activities are transitioning away from government-led missions toward private enterprises, we need to be aware of the risks of misuse that accompany it.

'Finally, we are in the middle of a climate crisis. Some space visionaries frame space as an escape route from an overexploited Earth and as a new frontier that we can colonize, mine and pollute. That raises questions about planetary limits, and what kind of ecological future we are willing to imagine', the researcher concludes.

What impact do you hope your project will have, within your field and related domains, and for society more broadly?

'Within my field of elite studies, I hope this project helps to shift attention to a new arena of elite interest: outer space. We are used to studying how elites shape finance, policy, or philanthropy. I want to show how tech elites are also actively redesigning the infrastructure and imaginaries of space', Diliara begins.

By combining computational social science methods with qualitative approaches, Diliara’s research sheds light on how ideas of ownership, business models and narratives reinforce each other in this sector, thereby also connecting elite studies with both science and technology studies and social science disciplines.

While space is thought to belong to all of humanity theoretically, the commercialization of the space industry means that ownership in practice is transferred to a select few. Therefore, on a societal level, the researcher hopes the project can help make space-activities conducted by corporations and billionaires more transparent. By making new space developments and narratives visible, she hopes this project will give journalists, policymakers and citizens tools to question and regulate these developments.

If you had to explain your research to a non-expert friend at a dinner party, how would you describe it?

'I usually say: you have probably seen the news a few years ago about billionaires flying into space on their big rockets. Well, that’s what I study', Diliara says.

Most people hold an emotional connection to space, she reminds us, whether it be how their child is obsessed with rockets, or they themselves were fascinated by studying astronomy in school. This creates for a natural flow of conversation in dinner-party settings.

'Everyone has thoughts, ideas, fantasies about space. Space captures all of our imagination in some way.'

Perhaps this reveals why the project is so important – it deals with something that holds significance to all of us, but is becoming accessible to only a select few. By shedding light on the mechanisms of elitism that underpin the commercialization of the space industry, Diliara’s project aims to, essentially, bring outer space back down to earth.

Looking Ahead

Over the next 18 months, Diliara’s project - funded by the AISSR IMPULSE-grant as well as a grant from the UvA Sustainability Platform - will form a comprehensive dataset of corporate space activities and actors, culminating in two academic articles or book chapters.

Meet the Researcher

Dr. Diliara Valeeva is an Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science in the Challenges to Democratic Representation group, part of the Political Science Department at the AISSR / University of Amsterdam.

Her research examines corporate power and elite networks using computational methods such as large-scale data analysis and network analysis. She studies how corporations, financial actors, and emerging industries shape political and economic influence in contemporary societies.