The space race is on, bringing both optimism and pessimism for the future.
More than half a century has passed since the United States’ victory over the Soviet Union in the space race. In that time, the number of innovations in space-faring technology has been staggering. With inventions such as reusable rocket ships, permanent space stations, and even commercial space lines, space travel in present times has become more accessible than ever before. With the US’ renewed interest in space exploration and countries such as China making massive strides in their space exploration efforts, a new space-race concerning the red planet Mars has begun.
This new space-race isn’t as competitive as its predecessor; in fact, the relationship between most countries has been surprisingly cooperative concerning space travel- since 2011, NASA has had over 400 active agreements with more than 100 countries. The only serious rival the US has would be China and its monumentally ambitious space exploration plans. Some of China’s goals include establishing a colony on the moon to regularly launch hundreds of flights per year, catching up with Russia and the US to become a major power in space exploration by 2030, and eventually surpassing the US as the leaders in space exploration by 2045.
The US is still at the forefront when it comes to technological innovations- the recent landing of NASA’s latest Mars Rover, Perseverance, which landed on Mars’ surface more than a week ago, is still leaps and bounds ahead of what other countries are capable of. However, some experts have expressed their concerns regarding NASA’s misguided rationale for space exploration. For example, Peter Garretson, a retired US air force officer and current senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC,) believes that leading in space exploration should involve a focus on long-term development and a focus of return on economic investments. According to Garretson, symbolic one-of-a-kind landings and academic research are no longer the foremost concerns in the current space-race.
Garretson may have a point; one need only look at China’s progress in recent years to realize that they are catching up to the US at a breakneck pace. China’s own Mars spacecraft, Tianwen-1, which arrived eight days earlier than the US, will attempt to simultaneously orbit the red planet and then land and release their rover on their very first mission. If successful, this feat would represent a significant technological breakthrough and change the way we implement planetary missions. It’s not a stretch to say that perhaps China’s impressive technological accomplishments could be attributed to the country’s focus on long-term development. China believes that resources valued at trillions of dollars are sitting on the moon, waiting to be harvested.
If the US hopes to still be in first place at the end of this space race, then perhaps they should consider a change in mindset regarding their ambitions for the cosmos. Regardless, humanity should be thrilled for the boons that lie at the end of this exciting race; the first space race brought unbelievable technological marvels to humanity, such as cordless tools, CT scanners, and satellites, who knows what this one might bring?