The plural of airspace; regions of the atmosphere above a country or territory that are controlled by that country.
From 'air' (Old English æ̅r, from Proto-Germanic *ēr-) combined with 'space' (from Old French espace, from Latin spatium). The compound emerged in the 20th century as aviation became significant to national sovereignty.
During the Cold War, airspace violations were serious international incidents—planes crossing into enemy airspace could trigger wars. Today, drones and commercial airlines navigate an incredibly complex 3D map of invisible borders that exist only because we agreed they should.
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