Some people think the money spent on developing the technology for space exploration is not justified. There are more beneficial ways to spend this money. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Public budgets are finite, and it is tempting to argue that money channelled into

space

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exploration would be better spent on hospitals, schools, or poverty relief.

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the opportunity cost is real, I ultimately disagree with

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claim: when governed well,

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investment yields broad, durable benefits that far exceed its sticker price. Admittedly, certain high-profile missions can lapse into prestige projects, absorbing funds without clear civilian dividends. In low-income contexts, prioritising primary healthcare or climate adaptation may save more lives per dollar in the short term. A notable case is India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, which, despite its technological achievement, drew criticism for diverting resources from pressing domestic needs.

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, India countered

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by leveraging satellite programmes to support disaster management: in 2015, its earth observation satellites provided real-time data during devastating floods in Chennai, enabling efficient rescue efforts that directly saved lives. These cautions matter: transparent procurement, international collaboration, and explicit civilian objectives should be prerequisites for any major programme. Yet treating

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spending as a luxury reflects a zero-sum fallacy and overlooks its role as a general-purpose technology. Satellites underpin navigation, precise timing, global communications and weather forecasting; these services reduce disaster losses, optimise agriculture, and keep supply chains functioning. Earth-observation constellations are now central to tracking deforestation, methane leaks and ocean health, informing policies that protect the very citizens critics wish to help.

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,

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research routinely produces spillovers—from lightweight materials to robotics and imaging techniques—that diffuse across the wider economy.

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, investment in planetary defence and

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-weather monitoring mitigates low-probability, high-impact risks that markets under-insure, creating an “option value” that few other sectors can provide. Rather than an either-or, the prudent course is conditional support: fund mission-oriented, civilian-relevant

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projects, publish open data, and audit outcomes against social metrics. With

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guardrails,

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technology is not a drain on human welfare but a multiplier of it.

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, I disagree that

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spending is unjustified; done properly, it is among the most socially beneficial uses of public money.