On June 17, in a historic event signalling a new era for space research and exploration, three Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft successfully docked at the Tiangong (heavenly glory) space station, located in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The astronauts—all members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)—are expected to stay in the Tianhe (heavenly harmony) living module of the space station for three months, and will carry out science experiments, maintenance, and spacewalks. What makes this feat even more noteworthy is the fact that it has just been two months since China launched the Tianhe module. Beijing has stated that, if everything goes according to plan, Tiangong will be fully operational by the end of next year.
🚀 "To build the space station is an important milestone for China’s aerospace cause."
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) June 23, 2021
EARLIER: President Xi Jinping had a video call with 3 astronauts working on the development of China’s first space station Tiangong https://t.co/NfEDk5G9wy pic.twitter.com/zTbLBxhpN9
The Chinese achievement has once again brought into focus the debate surrounding the United States (US)-China rivalry extending beyond Earth, which could see both sides engage in a tough race for dominance in the military, economic, and scientific arenas of space. Washington and Beijing have laid out extensive plans for exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond. While China has increased its military potential in space, most notably through its successful anti-satellite test in 2007, the US has also sought to bolster its space capabilities through its Space Force. With the most recent launch, China has demonstrated that US hegemony in space is not forever. Given that many aspects of the space programmes of both sides have more or less similar objectives, it is just a matter of time before both sides express concerns about the other’s intentions.
In fact, the US has listed China’s space program as a major security concern. In its 2021 Annual Threat Assessment report, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warns that the PLA is “working to match or exceed” the US’ capabilities in space, especially militarily, by integrating space services into its weapons systems to “erode” the US military’s information advantage. The report is a clear indication that the US views China’s growing ambitions in outer space as a serious challenge.
China’s “space dream” is an important component of advancing its future economic and security interests due to the vast strategic and economic potential of space. A white paper on Chinese space activities in 2016 views space as an “important part of the nation’s overall development strategy.” It states that since the establishment of the Chinese space programme in 1956, the country has seen exponential growth in the sphere, which has been guided by “self-reliance and independent innovation.”
In fact, China is one of the few countries with the capability to indigenously launch payloads into orbit. Beijing relies on its own Long March series of launch vehicles and has designed the Shenzhou spacecraft variants, the latest which successfully docked with Tiangong. Since 2003, the country has launched 14 astronauts, trained by its space agency the China National Space Administration (CNSA), into space, including Liu Yang—the first Chinese woman in space. Moreover, China has used its own launch facility—the Jiuquan launch centre—in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia since 1958. On the other hand, the US was reliant on Russia’s Soyuz rocket launcher from 2011-2020 to send its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), showcasing China’s rapid progression and independence in the space domain.
By launching the Tianhe module in April, China began the construction of its first space station, signalling to the US that it aimed to establish a permanent presence in space. With the ISS set to retire somewhere between 2024 and 2028, the US fears that China might use its Tiangong space station to attract more customers to join its space programme at the expense of the US. In 2020, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chief Jim Bridenstine urged the US to maintain a permanent presence in the LEO in order to preserve the country’s dominance in the field. “China is rapidly building what they call the ‘Chinese International Space Station,’ and they're rapidly marketing that space station to all of our international partners,” Bridenstine warned.
For long, the US held a monopoly in launching space probes to the Moon, Mars, and deep space. However, this reality is slowly changing. Countries like China, Japan, India, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have launched successful extra-terrestrial missions. Here, the performance of China is particularly noteworthy. In May, China became the third country after the Soviet Union and the US to successfully land a rover on the surface of Mars. The Chinese rover—Zhurong—also established communication from the Red Planet’s surface with its mission control. Furthermore, China became the first country in the world to soft-land a robotic spacecraft mission (Chang e-4) on the far side of the moon in 2019, and in 2020, its Chang e-5 probe returned to Earth with lunar soil samples, becoming the first country to do so since the Soviet Union achieved the feat in 1976.
China has also been trying to integrate its space programme with its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), through a “space silk road.” It has been marketing its BeiDou navigation system since 2000 as an alternative to the US Global Positioning System (GPS). Through the BeiDou constellation of satellites, China plans to provide BRI members with “accurate” timing, navigational, and positioning services.
Also Read: Space Law: What on Earth Is Going On?
Increasing Chinese successes in space are bound to attract foreign interest, and China has been marketing its space programme accordingly. China has invited foreign astronauts to be part of its space station programme, and in 2018, through the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), it called for applications from UN members to conduct experiments on its space station. Russia has been one of the main countries to express interest in participating in the Chinese space programme. Russia, a former space superpower, has increasingly partnered with China to combat the US influence in space, especially since the US withdrew from the Soyuz programme in 2020. In March, China and Russia signed a deal to establish a joint research station on the south pole of the Moon. Russia has also threatened to quit the ISS programme over the imposition of sanctions.
For the US, the most concerning aspect of China’s space strategy is the military component. In 2007 and 2013, Beijing conducted successful Anti-Satellite (ASAT) tests by destroying one of its own satellites. China has been working on bolstering its counter-space capabilities like electronic jamming systems, lasers, energy weapons, as well as its cyber warfare potential.
Nevertheless, while China has made steady gains in its quest for cosmic superiority, the US is still the dominant power in space. Experience is a crucial factor in determining the ability of a country to successfully launch missions to space, and it is a major part of why the US still maintains superiority in the field. Since 1973, NASA has launched missions to the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. Two of NASA’s missions—Voyager 1 and 2—have already left the solar system into the vast cosmic darkness of outer space. More than 200 astronauts from the US, the European Union, and countries like Brazil, South Africa, the UAE, Russia, and Japan have visited the ISS since its launch in 1998.
American military power in space has been unmatched so far. Washington has an array of capabilities in the area, including GPS tracking and guidance systems, espionage and communications satellites, attack satellites, and military space planes. With the involvement of the air force in space-related activities and the 2019 launch of the Space Force—the fourth branch of the US armed forces—the US is set to further boost its military prowess in space.
The US also launched the landmark Artemis Accords in 2020, aimed at gathering international support for building a lunar economy, joint space exploration, and landing astronauts, including the first woman, on the Moon by 2024. Interest in space has increased in the US as a result of the participation of private space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin in space launches.
In 2015, SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket successfully landed on solid ground after completing a trip to space, marking a new dawn in spaceflight history. It has been argued that self-landing capabilities could be crucial in drastically reducing the costs and increasing the success rates of future space missions. As of now, China has not yet developed a reusable rocket.
However, China’s space game has really taken off since the last decade. It is a late entrant to the space race, which makes it difficult for the country to catch up with the US. However, despite these obstacles, China’s rapid rise as a space power has been remarkable in many ways. Even the US has acknowledged China as an emerging space power, and in many ways is concerned about its increasing capabilities. With this level of progress, the docking of the three astronauts in the Chinese space station is a signal of more Chinese initiatives in space to come in the near future.