A New Space Race?

Between 1958 and 1972, the USSR sent 43 spacecraft to the moon and the USA sent 39. Collective mission success rate hovered around 50%, with a handful of fatalities that deterred neither nation. Russian and American programs have since continued to lead the way in most areas of space science, continuing to send astronauts and cosmonauts up in shuttles and for long-duration missions in two space stations.

In 2007, Roskosmos celebrated the 50th anniversary of their space program (most prominently, the milestone success of Sputnik) and the USA followed suit in 2008, praising President Eisenhower for creating NASA. Largely unknown to the greater populations of both countries, however, many other nations have quietly established presence in the newest space race. Will other nations join and provide competition to the duo who led the way for the last half-century?

In 1990, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA, founded in 2003) successfully launched the Hiten Lunar Trajectory Test Orbiter, and in 2007, the Kaguya Orbiter – the largest successful mission since Apollo, and the very first to sport a high-definition camera. Japan hopes to land on the moon by 2012 in Selene 2, and have a full base by 2030.

Ask most Americans or Russians however, and they may only profess scant knowledge of Japan’s impressive satellite presence, or that they house the largest planetarium on Earth (Ehime Dome in Niihama City). But really, Japan went to the moon? Yes, and though they lost contact with the craft, attempted to land a probe on Mars – and will spend 2 billion trying again.

Even less commonly known by American or Russian children, who are traditionally only taught their own nation’s contributions to space exploration, the European Space Agency (ESA, founded in 1975) brought 18 countries under its fold and into its vision, forwarding both rocket and life sciences and developing an impressive astronaut corps. They managed to orbit the moon with SMART-1 and attempted to send the Beagle 2 probe to Mars.

India successfully orbited the moon with Chandrayaan-1, China did likewise with Chang’e 1 and is further scheduling a lunar landing this year via Chang’e 2. Poll some teenagers, see if they know that? Better, ask them if they know India has had a space program since 1972, and China since 1993! Both countries expect to have moon rovers by 2012.

Certainly the USA and Russia show no signs of slowing their ambitions to continue experiments on the International Space Station or develop rockets with a mind toward Mars. Murmurings of moon bases have even come alive again in the 21st Century. Interestingly, after spending cuts in past decades and notable reduction in public interest, why are both countries ramping up efforts again now?

It may have much to do with who’s next to join the new space race, and why.

The space agencies of Israel (founded 1983), Canada (1989), Brazil (1994), Argentina (1995), Nigeria (1998), Algeria (2002), Malaysia (2009), Colombia (2006), Mexico (2008) and Iraq (2008) have all had varying degrees of success with research, deployment of weather units, satellites for communications, imaging, and research – and in a few cases, larger-scale rocket launches.

Still more countries who have perhaps only partnered with larger presences in the past, are seeking to put official space programs in the running: Australia, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand and Greece. Iran founded a program in 2003 that recently put their first major satellite into orbit. North Korea just announced they will be pursuing a space program.

Some of these will be good news to the existing powers, others set off alarm bells. Is space still worth racing toward?

Written and guest posted by Heather Archuletta of Pillow Astronaut.