The United States and its allies are urged to take the lead in winning the 21st-century space race and establishing a rules-based international order before China sets its own norms, according to American space experts, government officials, and lawmakers. The call comes amidst China's active pursuit of international partnerships for a lunar research station and its ambitious goal to have astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030, as highlighted in a congressional hearing on NASA's Artemis program.
Frank Lucas, Chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, emphasized the importance of the next country landing on the moon, setting a precedent for future lunar activities. The delay in NASA's Artemis program, announced last week due to safety concerns, raises concerns about the competitive edge in lunar exploration.
Artemis, aiming to send four astronauts to the moon by 2026, faces challenges, but the country that successfully lands next holds the potential to shape the future of lunar activities. China is set to arrive at the moon's south pole with an uncrewed lander by 2027, eyeing valuable reserves of ancient ice and critical minerals.
The congressional hearing acknowledged the complexities of the Artemis program, with concerns raised about its realism and pricing. Michael Griffin, former NASA chief, expressed skepticism about its timely completion and emphasized the strategic importance of being on the space frontier in global power politics.
The intensified Sino-American space race has prompted organizations like the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies to address the need for securing cislunar space—the region between Earth and the moon. The Mitchell Institute's policy paper urges the U.S. to establish an architecture in this region to monitor and respond to irresponsible behavior, emphasizing the risk of surrendering U.S. leadership if action is not taken.
The U.S. has initiated efforts to build alliances on Earth through the Artemis Accords, with 33 countries, including India and Brazil, signing on to facilitate peaceful international space cooperation. The accords aim to ensure transparency and avoid conflicts, emphasizing the need for communication channels.
While the U.S. faces challenges in directly engaging with China on space matters, there are ongoing efforts to share information on military space programs with allies. Concerns are raised about China's highly maneuverable systems, such as the SJ21 satellite, which demonstrated capabilities of altering the orbit of an inoperative BeiDou navigation satellite in 2022.
As the space race unfolds, the urgency for the U.S. and its allies to shape the rules of international space order becomes paramount, ensuring transparency, cooperation, and a strategic advantage in the evolving space landscape.
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