Op-Ed: US finally notices it’s in a space race with China


ByPaul Wallis
Published January 2, 2023

© NASA/AFP/File Handout.

It’s a testimony to the mindless destructiveness of US politics that the Chinese space program has finally become a topic. Years of brattish ignorance and national insanity completely overlooked the obvious. Now, it’s big news. NASA administrator Bill Nelson says the next two years will be critical.

Actually, the last 7 years were critical. The next two years will simply reflect how comatose America’s strategic comprehension was during that time. China’s space program has been ongoing for many years. Nor is it just the Moon. The first Chinese Mars orbiter was established in orbit in 2021, nearly two years ago.

NASA hasn’t had a clearly stated, outlined, and funded exploration program for decades. Since the end of the shuttle program, it hasn’t had instant access to space for basic needs. The supposedly unchallengeable US technological lead has eroded severely, if not completely.

There’s a lot of depth in the Chinese space program in terms of mission types, scope, and range. Unlike some of China’s more bombastic initiatives, the Chinese space program has been patient, consistent, and objective for decades.

China also lacks the disadvantage of nuts who may or may not admit that America ever landed on the Moon, etc. (It’s amazing how much of that side of politics is based on ignoring or denying American achievements. Defunding science is one of its hallmarks.) The Chinese have simply got on with the job, without the maniacal politics.

NASA isn’t quite playing catchup, yet. Whether the Chinese stole or otherwise acquired the technology is by now irrelevant. The point is that they’re now pretty much on a par with the US for actual capability. They’re funded, they’re focused, and they’re launching on a regular basis.

In the early 1960s, there was a book called Advise and Consent by Allen Drury. In that book, America lost the space race to the USSR while obsessing with politics. In the book, the balance of power changed drastically overnight. That’s what can happen in this case. America could be bypassed entirely. The military advantages and the ability to dominate near-Earth space would pass to China. Space commerce would also be by default a Chinese monopoly.

A much worse case is that Chinese facilities will dominate the transit and logistics options for any other nation in space. That could lead to a war on Earth. Long predicted by many space futurists, the likely options for anyone using “Chinese” space are complex at best.

This is an incredibly high-stakes situation. America’s options are clear; lead or lose.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

WRITTEN BY Paul Wallis
Editor-at-Large based in Sydney, Australia.