The Second Space Race: An Analysis

Nations watched and cheered on Terra’s distant shore
As one man finally took a step no one ever took before
In our hearts and in our minds his words will be enshrined
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Roy Jerden, 2013)
The final line of that poem was uttered in 1969, a time period when the United States and the Soviet Union did not fight with the blistering heat of gunfire, but with the cold progress of proxy wars and technological prowess. Neither of these superpowers wanted their ideologies to seem inferior and thus bolstered their efficiency on numerous fronts, including space exploration. The Soviet Union fired the first shots by launching Sputnik I and II in 1957. America responded by creating the National
Aeronautics and Space Agency, or NASA, to compete with this satellite technology by creating the U.S.’s own satellites, including the first one for communication purposes. What happened next is a series of responses of one-upping each other until the U.S. struck a major blow: landing a man on the moon in 1969. After that, the U.S. was viewed as the victor. As the U.S. and Soviet Union both sought detente, which means “easing of strained relations.” To this end they conducted a space mission with both American and Soviet astronauts in 1979. This was the end of the first Space Race. Afterwards, competition between countries was nonexistent. Exploration of space became a dull subject just prior to the 21st century. However, the 21st century brought about new, exciting frontiers for multiple players to compete in. From 2000 onwards, the United States’ federal government has worked with other nations’ space programs and with private companies through the International Space Station and has competed with other countries and companies in the field of space exploration during the Second Space Race. The Second Space Race began with the development of the International Space Station.
Originally intended as a project of goodwill between sixteen countries, it became a battleground of countries vying for places aboard the ISS. However, it remains one of if not the most brilliant collaborative achievements in human history. It will show to effectively define international cooperation beyond the atmosphere for centuries to come. The ISS altered the way people thought; Americans and Russians were no longer those particular citizens, but members of a greater order: humanity. Astronauts from the sixteen countries who helped build the ISS did not fly under their flag’s colors, but over them with the colors of humanity. Unfortunately, with tense diplomatic relations with China, the U.S. issued a demand that the Chinese were not to be allowed to board the ISS. The U.S. and Russia also faced difficult diplomatic relations in the early parts of the 21st century and their cooperation with each other dwindled, though American astronauts still access the ISS by Russian spacecraft. As a result of the political climate, the ISS became a backdrop for China and Russia to defect from international cooperation with other major competitors in the Second Space
Race The Second Space Race has mostly seen five competitors strategically working with and against each other. These five competitors are the United States, Russia, Japan, China, and the European Space Agency, or ESA. Russian-American cooperation became nearly nonexistent with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and America has never worked with China to further space exploration. However, NASA, Japan and the ESA continue to work together. A notable project is the James Webb Telescope, set to launch in 2018. It will provide images of deep-space one hundred times farther than the Hubble space telescope ever has provided. The ESA, U.S., and Japan have maintained steady relationships from the onset of the Second Space Race. However, that may soon change as it is believed that NASA is in the decline. It has faced repeated budget cuts and suffers from bureaucratic restraints. Twenty years ago, 75% of the world’s launch equipment was manufactured in the United States. Now, it is 25%. Fifteen years ago, 75% of the world’s satellites were manufactured in the U.S. That percentage has dropped to less than 20%. The ESA, Russia and China all plan to send their own astronauts to the moon within the next twenty years. Granted, they cannot replicate the grandeur of the 1969 moon landing, but these landings do provide evidence to the U.S.’ diminishing ability to compete in space against these countries.
In addition to working with and against foreign nations, the U.S. has a history of cooperation with private companies. From its conception, NASA has relied on private companies to work on projects that are too specific for NASA to do well. This way, the process of building spacecraft and machinery is more efficient. Nearly all government-sponsored space exploration programs contracts out its workload. From around 2006 onwards, the private space sector exploded with dozens of new companies staking a claim among the stars. In fact, NASA contracts SpaceX to send supplies to the International Space Station, a relationship unheard of prior to 2011 when the U.S. shut down its rocket launch site. Besides working with private companies past the atmosphere, NASA works with companies on the ground to promote the integration of science into American lives. Many of the initial applications that NASA developed, such as high-tech television systems, global positioning systems, and systems akin to the automated teller machine have been redeveloped by private companies for use by the public. The U.S. also sponsors organizations that promote science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. NASA has recognized that it is incapable of reaching the public without these organizations’ help. The relationship between the private sector and NASA is very strong.
However, competition between NASA and private companies is beginning. This, in some ways, is a good thing. Competition among the private sector has increased which has afforded NASA the opportunity for companies to fight amongst themselves for contracts, and thus saves NASA money. Companies like SpaceX and Orbital ATK have launched their own rockets and plan to offer opportunities such as space flight to the public. While initial rockets and suborbital balloons have failed and crashed, their technology is becoming refined to the point of perfection. Both SpaceX and Orbital ATK, among other companies, plan to offer space tourism to create revenue. This revenue has the potential to blow the floodgates open for space exploration. As more citizens are intrinsically involved in tourism, consumers will demand higher quality and more astounding space tourism, prompting further exploration. No organization, governmental or private, has been able to pull this off. Virgin Galactic plans to begin the onset of space tourism with suborbital balloons, which would bring passengers up to an altitude of 100,000 feet for $75,000 in the third quarter of 2017. SpaceX plans to send humans to Mars in the late 2020s, just like NASA. This proves that private companies are becoming equally as capable of governments to research space exploration. Even though the world is in the early stages of private space exploration, it is picking up speed very quickly.
The Second Space Race inhabits a time period from the early 2000s to an endpoint not dissimilar from the first. It will most likely end with a country or company settling a permanent lunar base, sending man to Mars, or settling a base on Mars, Phobos, or Deimos. America plays a vital role in this race. During the Second Space Race, the U.S. has competed against and helped other nations with their own space exploration goals starting with the International Space Station. Furthermore, the U.S. has started to see private companies journey from accepting contracting work to conducting their own space missions. This time period is one of wonder and spectacular scientific findings and will be remembered for centuries to come.