Technological Emergence and Adaptation: The Case of Earth-Orbiting Satellites

It is only through experience with technology that users and developers discover its emergent consequences. This paper provides an interdisciplinary view of adaptation, surveys the evolution and emergent consequences of Earth-orbiting satellites, and examines how the space industry adapted to new information on its impacts. General conclusions regarding technological adaptation are that (1) adaptations are frequently driven by disruptive events, (2) the pace of adaptation is correlated with technology accessibility and the size of the installed user base, and (3) the integration of a technology with a society may be viewed as a process of stakeholder alignment.