Bleddyn Bowen
@bleddb.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Astropolitics | Space warfare | Own views
Books: Original Sin http://bit.ly/3JYbcIe ; War in Space http://bit.ly/34Stplv 🏴🏳️🌈 🚀🛰
Web: https://tinyurl.com/p9pt8n9n
“He doesn’t see the stars - just the vast dark spaces in between.”
Books: Original Sin http://bit.ly/3JYbcIe ; War in Space http://bit.ly/34Stplv 🏴🏳️🌈 🚀🛰
Web: https://tinyurl.com/p9pt8n9n
“He doesn’t see the stars - just the vast dark spaces in between.”
Pinned
Bleddyn Bowen
@bleddb.bsky.social
· Oct 11
Coming in 2026 in paperback - Original Sin: Power, Technology and War in Outer Space! With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
@sgiadurham.bsky.social
Get all your international political space history and strategy at even greater value!
www.hurstpublishers.com/catalogues/s...
@sgiadurham.bsky.social
Get all your international political space history and strategy at even greater value!
www.hurstpublishers.com/catalogues/s...
I need to get myself a model of the Ariane 64...
Liftoff of Ariane 6 #VA267 on 12 February 2026 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana! @cnes.fr @transport.esa.int
February 12, 2026 at 5:23 PM
I need to get myself a model of the Ariane 64...
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
Fundamentally incoherent, as much as one might wishcast Europe carrying more of the conventional burden. This is essentially saying “we’ll increase the odds of conventional deterrence failures that might lead to nuclear deterrence failure, but then we’ll fight a nuclear war for you.”
Colby at NATO: "We will continue to provide the U.S. extended nuclear deterrent. And we will also continue, in a more limited and focused fashion, to provide conventional capabilities that contribute to NATO's defense."
www.war.gov
February 12, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Fundamentally incoherent, as much as one might wishcast Europe carrying more of the conventional burden. This is essentially saying “we’ll increase the odds of conventional deterrence failures that might lead to nuclear deterrence failure, but then we’ll fight a nuclear war for you.”
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
According to this, the AI lab part of XAi has $500m of annual revenues, the Twitter bit $3bn, and the whole thing burns $1bn a month
www.economist.com/business/202...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/business/202...
From The Economist
Elon Musk is betting his business empire on AI
The fates of xAI, SpaceX and Tesla are increasingly intertwined
www.economist.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:51 AM
According to this, the AI lab part of XAi has $500m of annual revenues, the Twitter bit $3bn, and the whole thing burns $1bn a month
www.economist.com/business/202...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/business/202...
From The Economist
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
China performed a successful in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft and a reentry, powered descent and splashdown of a first stage CZ-10A today. Big step for its lunar and human spaceflight programs
February 11, 2026 at 7:13 AM
China performed a successful in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft and a reentry, powered descent and splashdown of a first stage CZ-10A today. Big step for its lunar and human spaceflight programs
I wish Hugh Pugh was there to report the news from Fishguard for us.
February 11, 2026 at 8:43 AM
I wish Hugh Pugh was there to report the news from Fishguard for us.
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
Nice summary by @wonkhe of how much mileage REFUK is getting out of lying about "freeze peach"...
And here, how they are threatening to apply England-only rules to Bangor... wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...
And here, how they are threatening to apply England-only rules to Bangor... wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...
February 11, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Nice summary by @wonkhe of how much mileage REFUK is getting out of lying about "freeze peach"...
And here, how they are threatening to apply England-only rules to Bangor... wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...
And here, how they are threatening to apply England-only rules to Bangor... wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
It is so embarrassing that it has taken nearly a decade for a British minister to say this, a statement of the absolute bloody obvious
February 11, 2026 at 7:40 AM
It is so embarrassing that it has taken nearly a decade for a British minister to say this, a statement of the absolute bloody obvious
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
Russian factories produced more than 7mn shells, mortar rounds and rockets last year, according to estimates, up from 4.5mn in 2024. ft.trib.al/adcWq4Z
February 11, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Russian factories produced more than 7mn shells, mortar rounds and rockets last year, according to estimates, up from 4.5mn in 2024. ft.trib.al/adcWq4Z
In which @johngapper.bsky.social was very kind in including my views on UK (failures to) launch…
Britain is falling behind in the European space race
The potential sale of the Scottish rocket start-up Orbex shows the gap between rhetoric and reality
www.ft.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:56 PM
In which @johngapper.bsky.social was very kind in including my views on UK (failures to) launch…
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
Hello. Former Index On Censorship staffer here. To be very clear, having your request to speak at a society of which you are not a member does not count, in any sense whatsoever, as censorship. nation.cymru/news/uproar-...
Uproar as Reform policy chief threatens to defund Welsh university
Martin Shipton Reform UK’s head of policy Zia Yusuf launched a culture war in Wales by threatening to withhold funding from Bangor University after its student debating society refused to host two lea...
nation.cymru
February 10, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Hello. Former Index On Censorship staffer here. To be very clear, having your request to speak at a society of which you are not a member does not count, in any sense whatsoever, as censorship. nation.cymru/news/uproar-...
It’s not just Reform that deliberately conflates a student society’s decisions/policies with that of the University’s. The Conservatives were very happy to do so as well. Reform openly threatening a Welsh university ought to give a good opportunity for Plaid, Labour, lIb Dems, Greens ahead of May.
Reform is threatening Bangor University over a student society’s decision. The society isn’t Bangor University—but this is a neat preview of how a Reform government would work: public money for supporters only. Trump-style politics, UK edition.
Authoritarian reflex is already working just fine.👇
Authoritarian reflex is already working just fine.👇
February 10, 2026 at 12:25 PM
It’s not just Reform that deliberately conflates a student society’s decisions/policies with that of the University’s. The Conservatives were very happy to do so as well. Reform openly threatening a Welsh university ought to give a good opportunity for Plaid, Labour, lIb Dems, Greens ahead of May.
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
Universities can see what's happened to our US partners and colleagues. There's an example right in front of them of what the authoritarians will do once in power. They can fight back now or lose the ability to do so.
February 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Universities can see what's happened to our US partners and colleagues. There's an example right in front of them of what the authoritarians will do once in power. They can fight back now or lose the ability to do so.
February 9, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
BREAKING: “in my 24th year of my quest to settle the planet Mars, I have just been informed of a basic fact of celestial mechanics.”
February 9, 2026 at 10:31 AM
BREAKING: “in my 24th year of my quest to settle the planet Mars, I have just been informed of a basic fact of celestial mechanics.”
Well now the Cabinet is in line, I’m guessing Starmer will go after the May election…
February 9, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Well now the Cabinet is in line, I’m guessing Starmer will go after the May election…
'My sources v your sources' rumour mills in overdrive
NEW: Sources close to Eluned Morgan, Labour first minister in Wales, insist that she is not planning to say anything on Keir Starmer's leadership today - despite reports to the contrary.
February 9, 2026 at 2:27 PM
'My sources v your sources' rumour mills in overdrive
Or, more accurately put, things are moving quickly *beyond* Westminster.
February 9, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Or, more accurately put, things are moving quickly *beyond* Westminster.
Will Eluned Morgan follow suit and call for Starmer to go?
February 9, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Will Eluned Morgan follow suit and call for Starmer to go?
That’s how many Palantir contracts?
The OBR has modelled nationalising the most vulnerable 39 Higher Education Institutions, by the way. It 'only' adds £800m to Public Sector Net Financial Liabilities, and overall it makes Public Sector Net Worth *higher*. Just saying here. 🤷♂️
February 9, 2026 at 12:53 PM
That’s how many Palantir contracts?
This is amusing. Note that Musk says it’ll only ‘delay’ Mars efforts. 🤪
Is it a hint of even more Starship trouble? The fact that US Gov/Congress reopened the HLS contracts to include Blue Origin was already raising serious questions about basic crewed US visits to the Moon this side of 2030.
Is it a hint of even more Starship trouble? The fact that US Gov/Congress reopened the HLS contracts to include Blue Origin was already raising serious questions about basic crewed US visits to the Moon this side of 2030.
BREAKING NEWS: ELON MUSK TO FOCUS ON MARSHMALLOW FARM INSTEAD OF GUMDROP CITY
www.wsj.com/science/spac...
www.wsj.com/science/spac...
SpaceX Delays Mars Plans To Focus on Moon
Elon Musk’s rocket company had aimed to reach the red planet in 2026
www.wsj.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:06 AM
This is amusing. Note that Musk says it’ll only ‘delay’ Mars efforts. 🤪
Is it a hint of even more Starship trouble? The fact that US Gov/Congress reopened the HLS contracts to include Blue Origin was already raising serious questions about basic crewed US visits to the Moon this side of 2030.
Is it a hint of even more Starship trouble? The fact that US Gov/Congress reopened the HLS contracts to include Blue Origin was already raising serious questions about basic crewed US visits to the Moon this side of 2030.
Reposted by Bleddyn Bowen
UK increasingly reminds me of the Biden-era US. Reality-based and constitutionalist groups, in which I still include the Tories, just cannot get their act together for five minutes. But the endpoint is staring us in the face: best case you end up sacked and harassed, at the worst prosecuted.
February 9, 2026 at 8:40 AM
UK increasingly reminds me of the Biden-era US. Reality-based and constitutionalist groups, in which I still include the Tories, just cannot get their act together for five minutes. But the endpoint is staring us in the face: best case you end up sacked and harassed, at the worst prosecuted.