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Reading an article about the ISS and a damaged eacape pod, it mentions the China vs US space race.
Russia seem heavily invested in the ISS and a partnerhip with the US. Wouldn't it be more logical for them to partner with China?
It’s going the other way… China and Russia were working on joint projects, but China is now making them China led projects, on which Russia is just another possible minor collaborator (just like Europe). See the planned moon base expeditions as an example. Russia has diminished what it can afford do, and whether it can be trusted. That’s not just the “Western” view. Why would you now depend on them for any project with as much national pride at stake as a new space station, or moon base?
The North Koreans to Mars, apparently.
China has some massive advantages in terms of their politics and their attitudes to risk, NASA especially is at a point where it takes forever to approve the wrong thing. Things like "we can launch a bigger better space station module if we don't bother to manage the booster's reentry and accept the risk it lands on someone. Especially because it's not likely to be me". Space travel's a lot easier if you're willing to accept a few dead people, same as it's easier if you're willing to blow some stuff up.
The west should still have tech and expertise and experience advantages but they're not really all that impactful, a casual look at what was done in the 60s tells you that. Reusability is arguably the only real step change and that's been, um, unequally adopted.
American private companies. SpaceX, Blue Origin and Axiom. Rocketlabs are also looking strong. Nasa has enormous budgetary and political problems which will only be overcome if it looks like China are likely to get a permanant base on the moon and then they'll be looking at said private companies to catch up.
Russia has no heavylifting potential and just destroyed a large part of it's infrastructure.
I was a bit sad to see Launcher One fail on Monday. It would have stimulated interest and investment.
I was a bit sad to see Launcher One fail on Monday. It would have stimulated interest and investment.
There's loads of others waiting in line to take their place - possibly more realistic also.