The Space Race is back on – But who will win?
Space exploration is experiencing a “bifurcation” with one emerging camp led by China and Russia and the other comprising democracies and allies aligned with the U.S. China is now planning a mission to the moon’s south pole, to establish a robotic research station and a lunar base, intermittently crewed. NASA, meanwhile, intends to put a woman and a person of colour on the moon by 2024. Luke Harding suggests in this
Guardian article that the US is likely to remain the world’s pre-eminent space power, thanks to its innovative and flourishing private sector, whereas China’s state-directed programme appears less nimble. Despite ambitious timetables, and billions spent, it is unclear when an astronaut will return to the moon. It may well be that the first persons will not represent a nation or carry a flag. More likely, they will be wearing a spacesuit with a SpaceX logo on the back - a giant leap not only for mankind, but for galactic marketing.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/16/the-space-race-is-back-on-but-who-will-win
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