In the midst of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union were in a technological race. Trying to show the world who had superior spaceflight capability, they ventured into uncharted territory -- space. The Soviet Union started off strong by getting the first man-made satellite into space and quickly after, the first man. But ultimately the US established itself as the first space superpower, when American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to ever set foot on the Moon. Now, more than 60 years later, we are on the brink of a new space race, as a new player has entered the game: China. 

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As billionaires in rocket ships make headlines, China is steadily and consistently establishing its power in space. In the last year alone, they have sent a robotic rover to the Moon that brought back samples to Earth, and a rover that successfully landed on the surface of Mars, making it only the second nation to do so after the US. They have also announced plans for missions to collect samples from near-Earth asteroids and on Mars, which will return back to Earth by the end of the decade. 

 

But, most remarkably, the Chinese are in the middle of building their own space station, Tiangong, to be inaugurated by 2022 after 11 launches. Meanwhile, the future of the International Space Station (ISS) is uncertain. 

 

The ISS, a long standing project between Russia and the US, is often seen as a symbol of diplomacy and reconciliation between the two nations after the Cold War. Finalized in 2011, the station has proved to be a successful collaboration between NASA and Roscosmos - its Russian counterpart - for years, together with 13 other countries. But China has never been invited to participate.

 

In the same year, US congress passed legislation that banned NASA from cooperating with the Chinese space administration, in hopes of mitigating the risk of espionage. No Chinese astronaut has ever been allowed into the ISS since its launch. 

 

China has therefore been forced to develop their own space capabilities. ‘The long-term foreign blockade forced our independent innovation’ said Yang Hong, one of Tiangong’s designers, at Chinese state television network. ‘We must have our own. We cannot always run behind others’. Tiangong will be the final straw to position China as the third space superpower. 

 

Meanwhile, Russian officials have announced their intention to pull out of the ISS by 2024, the year their agreement with the US ends. This comes at a time when Russia is growing increasingly isolated from the West. A recent feasibility study by NASA has concluded that the station will be operational until 2028 - 14 years past the original deadline. But Russia might want out before that.

 

Russia’s Deputy prime minister has cited safety as the reason, as the structure of the ISS is aging and could put the life of their cosmonauts at risk. Politics seems to be another factor, since the director of Russia’s space agency said they would withdraw if the US maintained sanctions on the nation that have impacted their space program. For example, sanctions on microchip imports are affecting the development of their satellites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This all comes at a time when Russia and China are cozying up, whilst the China - US bipolarity rises. This June, Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping renewed a friendship treaty. The countries have also partnered up for several space missions, including the co-building of an International Lunar research base by 2030. ‘It’s a natural partnership’ Gregory Kulacki, China’s project manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told The New York times. ‘The Russians have a lot of expertise while the Chinese have the resources to fund it’.

 

To many, this mirrors the post-Cold War times. ‘Russia turned to the US in 1993 to save their space program. And now I think they are turning to China to do much the same’ John Logdson, founder of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, told Scientific American.

 

As political interests are once again played out in space, some worry about China’s growing presence in the field. In its last annual threat assessment, the US Director of National Intelligence referred to the Eastern country as a “near-peer competitor” trying to push for global power. Besides, NASA’s 14th administrator, Bill Nelson, thinks the US needs to be wary. ‘The Chinese civilian space program is, in reality, their military space program. That’s why I think we are going into a space race with China’ he told Scientific American. 

 

It is still too early to jump to conclusions. But for now, one thing seems certain. If the US wants to maintain its supremacy in space, they need to rethink the future of the ISS and its relations with Russia, as they are being forced by China into a new space race.