Both the U.S. and China have announced intentions of returning humans to the moon by 2020 at the earliest. And the two countries are already in the early stages of a new space race that appears to have some of the heat and skullduggery of the one between Washington and Moscow during the Cold War, when space was a proxy battleground for geopolitical dominance.
China launched its first lunar probe Wednesday. Japan sent an orbiter up last month. India is close behind. It's an economic competition with military undertones.
A new study has concluded that space solar power is feasible, but leaves unanswered who should proceed and how. Taylor Dinerman argues that China, with its voracious appetite for energy, can play a role as both a customer and co-developer.
As it grows in economic strength, China has its gaze firmly fixed on the heavens, devoting more and more energy and resources to developing its space program.
The Chinese government is implementing a wide series of measures to reduce the amount of debris left in orbit by Chinese rockets and satellites, and to develop a space-surveillance tool to determine what is in orbit, Chinese space-debris experts said.
Scientists have concluded that a Chinese missile test in January that smashed an aging weather satellite was the messiest space event ever, adding more than 1,500 big scraps of debris to a junkyard that's orbiting the Earth.
The US says it is reevaluating possible space cooperation with China, including joint Moon exploration, following Beijing's recent anti-satellite weapon test.
China has successfully test-fired the engines of a new rocket, that is three-times more powerful than existing versions and could launch its first manned mission to the Moon.
The Chinese National Space Administration recently invited NASA's head to visit China. The hope is that would be the first step in future cooperation between the two agencies, a first date in case "we need to get married some day."
China is celebrating its 50th anniversary of space progress this year, but also laying out a sweeping plan for lofting Earth orbiting satellites for a multitude of duties, expanding its human spaceflight abilities, and carrying out a multi-step program of lunar exploration.