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China, for decades was well behind in the world space race which was first dominated by the U.S. and the erstwhile U.S.S.R., and later the U.S. and Russia competing, with the former gaining an upper hand.
That equation may be changing thanks to the rise of China. The rise has been so fast that the experts in the U.S. now fear that China may overtake America in space capabilities by the end of the decade. In fact, it may be rising its space abilities at a speed “twice that of the U.S.A.” according to Gen. David Thompson, vice head of space operations for the U.S. Space Force. (https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/04/politics/american-experts-us-china-space-race/index.html)
The discussion took place at the Reagan National Defense Forum when, Gen. Thompson warned China made his remarks.
For the last two years, China has notched several achievements in space that has made the scientists and the policymakers in the U.S. to take notices. These include China becoming the first country to land on the far side of the moon in 2019 to it successfully putting into orbit its final satellite, setting the stage to challenge the U.S. Global Positioning System (G.P.S.). China has experimented with re-entry of rockets and it becoming the only country after the U.S. to put a functioning rover on Mars. (https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/21/china/china-us-space-race-mic-intl-hnk/index.html)
Last month, China created flutter in the U.S. when it was reported that China had tested a new pace capability with a hypersonic missile. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/17/china-tested-new-space-capability-with-hypersonic-missile-report)
While some allege that NASA has been deprived of the federal funds to the extent it needs to continue to lead the world in space exploration, private players like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have been investing heavily in space. But China’s overall budget remains a mystery.
For instance, China, with the help of Russia is set to build a research station on the Moon by 2035. The U.S. is also working to ‘contain’ China through an international coalition to establish basic principles for safe and responsible lunar explorations. The Artemis Accords signed last year has 12 signatories, including Britain, Australia, Canada, and Japan. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/06/17/china-space-race-nasa/)
Read more:
‘A shadow war in space is heating up fast’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/30/space-race-china-david-thompson/