Nation Already Well into Third Space Age, General Says.

* "I believe we're in the third space age," said Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander for U.S. Space Command.

The first space age began during the Cold War, when the U.S. prioritized strategic intelligence as well as scientific exploration, Shaw said during a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies' Schriever Spacepower Series event.

The second space age started after the Cold War ended, when competitors in the domain came together to build the International Space Station and the United States shifted from a national security perspective, Shaw added. The nation entered its third space age in 2015, when it began to focus on battle management needs. "From a national security...