Dual-Use Nation: Tracing Sweden’s Technological Neutrality Through Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Satellite Remote Sensing, 1973–1986

This article traces the development of Sweden’s role as a dual-use nation, as seen through the implications of Sweden's engagement with a satellite remote sensing project – SPOT – within the broader context of technological neutrality. Through an examination of verbs used in annual fiscal proposals (petita) of the Swedish Board for Space Activities (SBSA), one can trace which verbs associated with Swedish satellite remote sensing activities evolve into specific projects and terms. It suggests that outer space provided Sweden with an arena to assert proactive technopolitics and challenge traditional notions of neutrality, in particular through the promotion of Sweden as a dual-use nation.