Space policy popularisation and the articulation of dominant ideology

The emergence or evolution of a space policy initiative is often accompanied by a parallel effort to popularise it-introduce it to new, non-expert audiences to legitimise it. In other words, space policy is not only about producing satellites but also about the facts, narratives, and arguments that are supposed to be used to secure this legitimacy. How and why does the popularisation of space policy take place? What is its function and significance? By utilizing illustrations from the European space program and the US Space Force, the chapter will argue that it is impossible and, indeed, wrong to view popularisation as a merely technical simplification of the complex reality of space and space policy. Instead, popularisation is an ideological process, producing and reproducing visions of what is beneficial for society, of what should be done. Against the mainstream understanding of "popularization as simplification," this chapter puts forward an alternative understanding of "popularization as ideology" as an ideational vehicle for facilitating political-institutional agendas and socioeconomic interests.