![]() In 2019, Russia and China agreed to jointly go to the Moon by 2028. These competing lunar aims are often cited as evidence of the space race, but they are very different in terms of partnerships and scope. and China have plans to send people to the surface of the Moon and to establish lunar bases in the near future. China's collaborators are, however, fewer in number and have far less developed space capabilities.Įfforts to return to the surface of the Moon excellently highlight this difference in ally support and synergy. ![]() government has also signed 169 space data sharing agreements with 33 states and intergovernmental organizations, 129 with commercial partners and seven with academic institutions.Ĭhina also has allies that help with space-most notably Russia and members of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, including Iran, Pakistan, Thailand and Turkey. and China is the nature and number of international collaborations.įor decades, NASA has been fruitfully cultivating international and commercial partnerships in everything from developing specific space technologies to flying humans into space. Allies as force multipliersĪ major point of difference between the U.S. will remain stagnant, as it continues to increase funding for space. China has built and launched all of the different parts and remains the sole operator of the station, despite having invited others to join.Ĭhina is undoubtedly expanding its space capabilities, and in a report published in August 2022, the Pentagon predicted that China would surpass U.S. Construction was only completed in late 2022, and it is much smaller-with only three modules. The Chinese Tiangong space station is the new kid on the block. But the ISS is now 24 years old, and participating nations are planning to retire it in 2030. The ISS is quite large, with 16 modules, and has driven technological and scientific breakthroughs. has worked with 14 other nations, including Russia, to operate the International Space Station. Space stations are another area where there are important differences hiding beneath the surface. Meanwhile, in the U.S., 61% of launches were for nonmilitary, academic or commercial use, predominantly for Earth observation or telecommunications. The vast majority-84%-of Chinese launches had government or military payloads intended mostly for electronic intelligence and optical imaging. The total numbers may be similar, but the rockets carried very different payloads to orbit. In 2021, for instance, China attempted 55 orbital launches, four more than the U.S.'s 51. may have a clear advantage over China in many areas of space, in some measures, the differences between the two countries are more nuanced. In contrast, China has only four operational spaceports with two more planned, all located within its own territory. ![]() has more options to launch payloads into various orbits. With seven operational launch sites at home and abroad and at least 13 additional spaceports in development, the U.S. Currently, there are 5,465 total operational satellites in orbit around Earth. also leads significantly in the number of active satellites. But with an estimated budget of $16.18 billion in 2021, it is still spending less than a third of the U.S. China has been investing heavily in space and rocket technology over the last decade and has doubled its spending in the last five years. space budget was roughly US$59.8 billion. Starting with spending: In 2021, the U.S. is far ahead not only of China, but of all other spacefaring nations combined. and China have roughly equal capabilities in space. A clear leader makes for a boring raceĬalling the current situation a race implies that the U.S. ![]() At least for now, the reality looks more like what I call a complex hegemony-one state, the U.S., is still dominating in key space capabilities, and this lead is further amplified by a strong network of partners. When I look at various capacities, the data paints a much more complex picture than a tight space race between the U.S. sounds convincing given the broader narrative of China's rise, but how accurate is it? As a professor who studies space and international relations, my research aims to quantify the power and capabilities of different nations in space. This idea of a space race between China and the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |