François Picard is pleased to welcome Alban Guyomarc'h, Researcher in Space Geopolitics at Paris's École Normale Supérieure School of Higher Learning. As a new era of space rivalry unfolds, the International Space Station remains one of the last bastions of cooperation between geopolitical adversaries. For Guyomarc'h, the latest ISS mission is more than a remarkable technological achievement. "It's one of the rare collaboration spaces we still have today in a very conflictual era".
He describes the ISS as a historic bridge between East and West. Guyomarc'h examines the emotional experience of returning from orbit, the geopolitical implications of the ISS's planned retirement, and the intensifying competition to establish a permanent presence on the Moon. From nuclear-powered lunar infrastructure to the growing strategic importance of space, his analysis reveals a central paradox: as humanity acquires unprecedented capabilities to explore beyond Earth, the political foundations of cooperation in space appear increasingly fragile.
