The Race to Space Hegemony
Outlining the new space race between China and the US
Exploring outer space has been one of the main goals of every developed nation with capabilities since the notion was first conceptualized. Ever since the Soviet Union first launched Sputnik in October 1957, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, humans — more accurately, governments — have been obsessed with the notion of outer space hegemony. For many years during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union had been in a two-sided competition to develop high-tech architecture and ballistic missiles as nuclear deterrence grew in importance.
After the Cold War receded and the Soviet Union gradually went into nonexistence, the United States has been the dominant hegemon in outer space, achieving remarkable results in technology and strategy toward what would constitute a new space race, including the Soviet Union’s successor, Russia.
The shift from a bipolar space race, restricted by the capabilities of involved countries, but more importantly by government agendas projected by their respective interests on Earth, has headed for a more free-market space system, in which developing nations, private companies, and even colleges can launch their own spacecraft. Space exploration has become accessible for civilian billionaires and nations with…
