As China Announces Bold New Plans for its Space Program, the United States Considers the Possible Militarism of the Space Race
In contrast to a United States that continues to scale back its space program, China last week unveiled an ambitious plan to become a major extraterrestrial power. This plan includes launching freighters and manned-vessels within the next half-decade, conducting major research on black holes, forecasting environmental disasters, and drafting up plans for future space operations.
This announcement is part of the “rising global power” narrative that the nation’s government is attempting to promote. Indeed, the bold next steps of China’s space program are not unlike the other major initiatives that the government has already undertaken, such as its massive expenditures on infrastructure projects. And, this latest announcement out of China has got America worried about the strengthening of China and the possible militarism of space in the future.
Is this a Surprise?
China’s potential ascendency as a major player in space should not come as a surprise given the nation’s booming economy and past accomplishments with regard to its space program. China, after all, is only the third nation after the United States and Russia to have put a human in space.
Furthermore, China completed a successful space walk in 2008. In October, China’s first space laboratory module Tiangong-1 was successfully launched. A month later, in November, the Chinese unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 successfully completed an automated docking and safe return to Earth. It is believed that during this flurry of activity the seeds of a future Chinese space laboratory were planted.
What is the Danger?
Some have become quite concerned by China’s ambitious goals given that the nation’s space program is run by its military. Yet, the Chinese military insists that the space program will be used only for peaceful purposes. After it shot down one of its own dead satellites in 2007, concerns arose regarding possible intentions to militarize space. While we can only speculate at this point, recent Chinese military policies and actions have raised questions about whether or not China’s military leaders will attempt to utilize space innovations for military purposes.
China- The Leader or Playing Catch-Up?
Some lament China’s space aspirations, fearing the possibility of China surpassing the United States on this front. Naturally, this ought to be an important concern for the US, and it would not be unreasonable to suggest that China will eventually become the a powerful presence in space.
However, China, in a sense, is playing catch-up with the nations that started their space programs back in the 1960s. And although funding for NASA is not as robust as many might hope for looking into the future, the American space program is already building on the solid foundation of decades of previous work.
What the Future Holds
In the long term, China is hoping to put a man on the moon. Few doubt that such a feat would be possible for China, given its current economic rise. However, because China does have a relatively long path to tread with respect to developing its space technology, the future situation in space will largely be a function of how effectively China can execute on its plans.
As China garners this more prominent position in space, it will be strategically important for the United States to bridge the gap in relations with China with respect to their space programs, much in the manner that Washington developed strong space relations with Moscow during the Cold War. In any case, as China’s space program grows and develops, fostering these space relations between the two powers may be necessary to maintain the peace and security that has characterized space since the dawn of the Space Age.
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