t was an era marked by fierce competition that sometimes bore deadly consequences. In 1967, both countries “ignored growing design and manufacturing problems,” launching two space flights that ended in four combined fatalities. Even before the competition cost human lives, risks were taken on both sides in the name of one-upmanship. After all, upon hearing of American advancements in space, the Soviets rushed to launch their Sputnik satellite–even though it was untested.
Some argue that the conflict concluded when one side sent a man to the moon. Others point out that the competition didn’t officially end until a ceremonious 1975 handshake in space. However, in light of the recent space collaboration agreement between Russia and China, it looks like the age-old space race between the U.S. and Russia might have made its way into the 21st century.
For decades, the space relationship between the U.S. and Russia has played out like a classic on-again, off-again, sit-com style romance. Just three years after the Americans sent the world’s first man to the moon, and after over a decade of technological tit-for-tat tensions, President Nixon worked with the Soviets to launch the Apollo-Suyez Test Project, which culminated in that famous 1975 space handshake. During the 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union paved the way for greater space collaboration between the two world powers. Early on in the decade, the U.S. invited Russia (alongside Japan, Canada, and several European counties) to collaborate on its construction of an international space station, hoping to help a country in crisis as well as prevent Russian experts from finding work under enemy governments. Though politically motivated, the American decision to involve Russia in the International Space Station made for a productive partnership, resulting in eighteen years of continuous occupation of the space station with astronauts from both countries.
However, what appeared to be sweet international space diplomacy soured in the early 2010s when Russia annexed Crimea. After the unlawful annexation, the U.S. cut Russia out of international meetings, and Russia’s public stance on American space issues began to change. Brian Weeden, the Director of Program Planning for Secure World Foundation, told Axios that within multilateral space forums, there was “a marked increase in the hostility” of Russian language towards “pretty much anything the U.S. was proposing.” In 2020, Moscow refused to sign the American Artemis Accords, which set guidelines for crewed lunar exploration, stating that the plans were “too U.S. centric.”
Tensions shifted into even higher gear in March 2021, when Russia and China signed an agreement to work together to develop the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The collaboration creates a symbiotic relationship between the two world powers, especially as NASA has come to rely on SpaceX flights to get astronauts to the International Space Station instead of using the Russian Soyuz rocket. Additionally, when it comes to space, China’s star is rising. Beijing’s Tianwen-1 probe is currently orbiting Mars, and another mission successfully returned lunar rock and soil to Earth last December. The collaboration between the two countries will allow Russia to work with a rising space power while allowing China to benefit from Russia’s technical acumen.
Ultimately, this Sino-Russian interstellar partnership bears potential geopolitical consequences. Though the Chinese project is “open to all interested countries and international partners,” China and Russia are centered in this blueprint for future international space collaboration. Additionally, current American legislation excludes NASA from collaborating with CNSA, the Chinese space agency. In the coming years, this could lead to what The Diplomat has called “an ironic role reversal” between the U.S. and China. Though the International Space Station involved collaboration between the U.S., Russia, Europe, Canada, and Japan, China was denied a seat at the table.
Last year, Japan, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg, and the UK signed the Artemis Accords, agreeing to collaborate on future American missions to the moon. However, China has reportedly contacted the European Space Agency about collaborating on its ILRS, indicating that the research station may become a global hub for space experimentation. Though the current Chinese plan doesn’t call for a manned lunar mission until 2036, meaning any lunar research station might not be operational for over a decade, the world might be on the eve of out-of-this-world international competition yet again. The next few years will indicate whether the U.S. and China are currently setting the stage for a 21st century space race.
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A New Space Race
Photo by NASA via Pixabay.
April 1, 2021
I
t was an era marked by fierce competition that sometimes bore deadly consequences. In 1967, both countries “ignored growing design and manufacturing problems,” launching two space flights that ended in four combined fatalities. Even before the competition cost human lives, risks were taken on both sides in the name of one-upmanship. After all, upon hearing of American advancements in space, the Soviets rushed to launch their Sputnik satellite–even though it was untested.
Some argue that the conflict concluded when one side sent a man to the moon. Others point out that the competition didn’t officially end until a ceremonious 1975 handshake in space. However, in light of the recent space collaboration agreement between Russia and China, it looks like the age-old space race between the U.S. and Russia might have made its way into the 21st century.
For decades, the space relationship between the U.S. and Russia has played out like a classic on-again, off-again, sit-com style romance. Just three years after the Americans sent the world’s first man to the moon, and after over a decade of technological tit-for-tat tensions, President Nixon worked with the Soviets to launch the Apollo-Suyez Test Project, which culminated in that famous 1975 space handshake. During the 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union paved the way for greater space collaboration between the two world powers. Early on in the decade, the U.S. invited Russia (alongside Japan, Canada, and several European counties) to collaborate on its construction of an international space station, hoping to help a country in crisis as well as prevent Russian experts from finding work under enemy governments. Though politically motivated, the American decision to involve Russia in the International Space Station made for a productive partnership, resulting in eighteen years of continuous occupation of the space station with astronauts from both countries.
However, what appeared to be sweet international space diplomacy soured in the early 2010s when Russia annexed Crimea. After the unlawful annexation, the U.S. cut Russia out of international meetings, and Russia’s public stance on American space issues began to change. Brian Weeden, the Director of Program Planning for Secure World Foundation, told Axios that within multilateral space forums, there was “a marked increase in the hostility” of Russian language towards “pretty much anything the U.S. was proposing.” In 2020, Moscow refused to sign the American Artemis Accords, which set guidelines for crewed lunar exploration, stating that the plans were “too U.S. centric.”
Tensions shifted into even higher gear in March 2021, when Russia and China signed an agreement to work together to develop the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The collaboration creates a symbiotic relationship between the two world powers, especially as NASA has come to rely on SpaceX flights to get astronauts to the International Space Station instead of using the Russian Soyuz rocket. Additionally, when it comes to space, China’s star is rising. Beijing’s Tianwen-1 probe is currently orbiting Mars, and another mission successfully returned lunar rock and soil to Earth last December. The collaboration between the two countries will allow Russia to work with a rising space power while allowing China to benefit from Russia’s technical acumen.
Ultimately, this Sino-Russian interstellar partnership bears potential geopolitical consequences. Though the Chinese project is “open to all interested countries and international partners,” China and Russia are centered in this blueprint for future international space collaboration. Additionally, current American legislation excludes NASA from collaborating with CNSA, the Chinese space agency. In the coming years, this could lead to what The Diplomat has called “an ironic role reversal” between the U.S. and China. Though the International Space Station involved collaboration between the U.S., Russia, Europe, Canada, and Japan, China was denied a seat at the table.
Last year, Japan, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg, and the UK signed the Artemis Accords, agreeing to collaborate on future American missions to the moon. However, China has reportedly contacted the European Space Agency about collaborating on its ILRS, indicating that the research station may become a global hub for space experimentation. Though the current Chinese plan doesn’t call for a manned lunar mission until 2036, meaning any lunar research station might not be operational for over a decade, the world might be on the eve of out-of-this-world international competition yet again. The next few years will indicate whether the U.S. and China are currently setting the stage for a 21st century space race.
