China is one of the top players in space, with successful missions to the moon and Mars, as well as a solar probe due to be launched soon. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned that the rise of it has spurred competition with the U.S. The contest over achievements in space is likely to intensify because of the strategic value the two nations have placed on their space programs.
Despite the tension, the U.S. and China need to find a way to cooperate on some issues. The safety of space infrastructure is the most important area, where a lack of communication could be harmful. The recent saga of a near miss between two of Musk's Starlink satellites and China's in-progress crewed space station highlighted the need. The US government is responsible for their space activities under the Outer Space Treaty.
Some kinds of cooperation are illegal, so there are serious barriers to overcome. The Wolf Amendment prohibits NASA from engaging with the Chinese government. The legislation doesn't block all cooperative possibilities, such as exchanging information about human-made space objects through agencies. The Starlink satellites posed no risk to the Chinese space station, according to U.S. representatives. The station was adjusted to be safe by China. Direct communication could be used to handle cases like this in the future.
Both nations rely on space infrastructure for a variety of purposes. The US has more satellites than any other country, accounting for half of the total number. It has the most to lose from satellite crashes and space debris. China plans to send a lot of satellites to low-Earth orbit in the next few years. The U.N. says that the risks from space are growing and it suits both countries to engage in constructive dialogue on how to keep the passages safe.
The path may not be easy. The U.S. accuses China of worsening the issue by conducting an antisatellite test in 2007. A collision between a small piece of debris and a spaceship could be catastrophic because everything is moving so fast. One year later, the U.S. shot down its own satellite, although this event created fewer and shorter-lived pieces of debris because the intercept occurred at a lower altitude.
The two sides seem to agree on some important legal rules. In a recent white paper, China claims to use outer space for peaceful purposes. The fact that there is some ambiguity to the term may be a good starting point for the two countries to begin a dialogue about whether antisatellite testing is a peaceful activity. It can pose threats to others by creating more space debris, even though it is not an act of war.
According to statements in the recent white paper, China wants to be involved in the international rulemaking process for space under the framework of the United Nations. China can only achieve this goal through constructive engagement with other nations. In February, when asked about the danger posed by the Starlink satellites to the Chinese space station, a Chinese spokesman expressed willingness to establish a long-term communication mechanism with the U.S. to protect the safety of its astronauts and space station.
Both countries could be held back by the continuing finger-pointing. The U.S. and China had a dispute over the U.S. commitment to stop antisatellite missile testing. The U.S. blamed Russia and China for their previous tests, but the move could reduce the creation of space debris. China demanded that the U.S. reflect upon its negative moves in the field of outer space.
The two countries should start small and think big in order to make real progress. It would be difficult to expect an agreement on space safety issues as a whole because of the lack of trust between the two sides. Rules about communicating when a crewed space station is at risk of collision can help the two sides find common interests and work in a cooperative manner. They can establish mutual trust in this process and expand their cooperation to other spheres in space over time.
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