Space is a blank place, it's devoid of life - as far as we know - but that means it's a blank canvas and we only take up there what we want to take. So if we go up there with this attitude of late capitalism we have in society today, then we're just going to recreate another version of Hell - but this one will be harder to breathe.

Journalist Peter Ward explores the consequences of capitalism's push into space - as the ruling class surplants the state in near-term space exploration, humanity's push beyond the planet will be guided by the same forces of accumulation and exploitation shaping life on this unequal, precarious planet.

Peter is author of The Consequential Frontier: Challenging the Privatization of Space from Melville House.