The US and China are competing fiercely in the space race, with both countries conducting rocket activities that aim to dominate the space domain. The US military recently launched its first National Security Space Launch using a newly certified rocket, while China conducted its first static fire test of a new rocket intended for manned lunar landing missions.
This intensification of the space competition is not surprising, given the growing threats from Russia and China’s militarization of space. The US has established the Space Force to counter these threats, and now it is racing with China to be the first to return humans to the moon.
The National Security Space Launch program uses commercial launch services to deploy satellites for various military and intelligence purposes. The Vulcan rocket, developed by United Launch Alliance, was certified to deliver national security satellites into orbit in March.
China’s Long March-10 carrier rocket recently completed a static fire test at its space launch site in Hainan, producing almost 1,000 tons of thrust while the rocket remained attached to the launch mount. The event evaluated the engines’ simultaneous performance under different conditions.
As the competition heats up, it remains to be seen whether the US will maintain its space dominance in the face of China’s rapidly growing capabilities.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/us-china-new-space-race-intensifying-2115015