Space Competition and Leadership: The Strategic Insight of Ethical Space Management
NASA successfully launched Artemis I, the first mission in a series aimed at returning humans to the moon, on November 16. This marks a significant step forward in the United States' space exploration ambitions, but the race to space is far from a solitary endeavour. China, too, has set its sights on the moon and Mars, with both nations aiming to place astronauts on the lunar surface before 2030 and conduct a crewed mission to Mars.
The U.S.'s strategic emphasis on space capabilities has seen a notable increase, reflected in the 2023 U.S. Space Force budget. President Biden’s 2024 request proposed a significant boost of $30 billion, with a focus on strengthening missile warning, GPS, launch systems, and space technology development. This upscaling involves major investments in research, development, test & evaluation (RDT&E), launch vehicles, resilient missile tracking satellites, and defense technologies against emerging threats such as drones and hypersonic missiles.
This surge in funding is largely influenced by China's rapid advancements in space capabilities, particularly in military space and technologies aimed at undermining U.S. dominance in the Western Pacific. The competitive dynamic with China is likely to intensify, spurring accelerated innovation, investments, and possibly new international partnerships or conflicts in space.
Meanwhile, China made headlines in May 2021 when it became the second country to successfully land a spacecraft on Mars. The nation also operates the Tiangong, a space station in low-Earth-orbit, marking the second space station to do so. China's space program aims to construct the International Lunar Research Station in partnership with the Russian State Space Corporation, Roscosmos, by 2030.
The Outer Space Treaty, the nucleus of international space law, does not actually define what "peaceful purposes" means. Despite this ambiguity, it endures as customary international law and carries a certain status of general acceptance and practice. The United States has emphasised responsible behaviour in space, with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's memorandum outlining tenets such as reducing the generation of orbital debris and communicating with spacefaring nations to "enhance the safety and stability of the domain."
In the midst of this competitive race, moral leadership matters. Former Defense Secretary and retired General James Mattis recounts in his autobiography, "Call Sign Chaos," that moral leadership can breach the competition barrier with China. This sentiment is echoed by General David "DT" Thompson, US Space Force vice chief of space operations, who predicts that 2023 will be a year of growth and competition for the Space Force.
The International Space Station (ISS) can be safely operated through 2030, but will need to be deorbited. Congress voted to extend the United States' participation in the ISS through at least September 30, 2030, pursuant to the 2022 NASA Authorization Act. The Biden administration pledged to extend the technical lifespan of the ISS through 2030 to promote deep space exploration and continued collaboration with sixteen partner nations.
In a significant development, NASA first announced in 2020 that it was advancing international cooperation for lunar exploration by introducing the Artemis Accords Principles. These principles aim to ensure that all space exploration activities are conducted for peaceful purposes, in accordance with international law, and with a commitment to transparency and cooperation.
As the race to space heats up, it is clear that the future of space exploration will be shaped by a complex interplay of competition and collaboration, with both military and civilian space missions set to benefit from this new era of innovation and growth.
References:
- Space Force Budget Surges
- Space Force Budget Requests and Appropriations
- China's Manned Space Mission
- China's Space Program Advancements
- Outer Space Treaty and Peaceful Purposes
- Congressional Funding for Space Force
- General Thompson on Space Force's Future
- China's "Space Dream" and Lunar Program
- International Lunar Research Station
- China's Mars Mission Success
- Tiangong Space Station
- ISS Extension and Deep Space Exploration
- Artemis Accords Principles
- The United States' focus on space capabilities, as demonstrated by the increased budget for the U.S. Space Force, involves strengthening various aspects of space technology, including missile warning, GPS, launch systems, and defense technologies against threats like drones and hypersonic missiles.
- The competitive dynamic with China, fueled by China's rapid advancements in military space and technologies aimed at undermining U.S. dominance, is likely to result in accelerated innovation, investments, and potentially new international partnerships or conflicts in space.
- Moral leadership is considered vital in the competitive race to space, with former Defense Secretary and retired General James Mattis emphasizing that moral leadership can help break competition barriers with China.
- In a bid to ensure peaceful space exploration, NASA introduced the Artemis Accords Principles in 2020, aiming to encourage transparency and cooperation among nations engaged in lunar exploration.
- As the space race heats up, collaboration between nations, with both military and civilian space missions set to benefit, will be crucial in shaping the future of space exploration in the coming years.
