Kevin Pollpeter’s essay for the roundtable succinctly summarizes the challenges the country poses vis-à-vis the United States: “China’s use of space as an instrument of national power poses military, economic, and diplomatic challenges for the United States, much as its increasing capabilities and expanding global presence challenge other terrestrial domains.” Like in other domains, China strives to reshape space governance to better suit its own geopolitical objectives in areas such as arms control and natural resource extraction in space. The United States, as the country with the most seasoned space program, must rise to the pressing challenge of crafting “innovative and appropriate rules to govern the world’s space activities, if they are to produce their maximum social, economic, and security benefits.” In so doing, it will continue to play a significant role in international space forums.Īt the same time, the influence of China in space is increasing. As Logsdon notes, Washington has a hand in nearly every international space initiative. As one of the two veteran space powers-and the only one to maintain relevance in the 21st century-the United States faces different issues from its Asian allies and rivals. The essay examines the country’s historical and current commitments to space as well as the important matters on its policy agenda. To better understand Asia’s emerging role in the space domain, this Asia Policy roundtable surveys the space programs of key states and analyzes their present technological capabilities, strategic goals, and private and public R&D to determine policy implications for space activities, international law, and security. For example, the aging International Space Station is now in its 22nd year, and space debris remains an unregulated, increasing problem.
The United States, for its part, has shifted toward robotic missions and a focus on military security applications, although there is renewed public- and private-sector interest in manned space missions.Īmid this global scramble by countries and private companies to launch satellites and spacecraft, a range of critical issues still must be addressed. The European Union has only recently revived its Space Council and is determining objectives for joint European programs. In contrast to the growth of Asian space programs, Russia’s reorganized state-led program Roscosmos struggles to maintain the country’s Soviet-era capabilities.
#LED LIGHT TABLE ART FULL#
Though still recovering from the Fukushima disaster, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is preparing to launch its prototype Space Solar Power System this year, with full operational capacity scheduled for 2030. The Indian Space Research Organisation has plans to launch a variety of observation and communications satellites in 2020, and the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System now covers the entire Indo-Pacific. In 2019, China successfully landed an unmanned craft on the Moon, and the country aims to both launch a Mars explorer in 2020 and complete its own space station around 2022. More than half a century since the United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed to be first in space and to put a man on the Moon, a new contest for space dominance has developed in recent years. Namrata Goswami Europe in Space: Partner, Competitor, and Model for Asia Hyoung Joon An India’s Space Program, Ambitions, and Activities Pekkanen South Korea’s Space Program: Activities and Ambitions
Kevin Pollpeter The Russian Space Program: In Search of a New Business Model Logsdon China’s Space Program: Making China Strong, Rich, and Respected
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