Space rivalry: Russia and China make cooperation in space

Russia and China have ambitious plans for space cooperation, said Vladimir Putin. The Russian president stressed that many countries want to make cooperation with Russia in this area, and Moscow remains committed to the plans to send the mission to the Moon and to Mars. The Russian leader pointed out that he planned cooperation projects with another BRICS countries, including India, South Africa and Brazil.

According to the Reuters agency, citing Interfax, Putin stated that "co-operation in space with Americans is continuing". The Russian president stressed that even though European partners ceased their cooperation with Russia, limiting it to virtually zero, Russian equipment inactive operates on its stations, in its facilities, including exploring Mars. According to the Italian agency Ansa, respective cooperation projects between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) were suspended following a full-sized aggression against Ukraine in 2022.

Putin besides compared billionaire Elon Musk to Sergei Korolov, an engineer considered to be the father of Russian cosmonautics. "There is an absolute Mars nut in the US; people so powerfully driven by the thought are born rarely," he said. The Russian president announced last week "the request for the improvement of fresh manned spacecraft and launcher rockets". He besides pointed out the importance of Russia's space program for the defence of the country.

Roskosmosu head Dmitri Bakanow stated last week that Moscow "worked to strengthen its position as a leading force in space." To accomplish this, Russia is developing technologies, launching innovative projects and preparing for fresh missions. In 2022 Russia spent more than 20 billion rubles (about $340 million) on the space program, an increase of 15% compared to the erstwhile year.

It is worth noting that Russia is 1 of the leaders in the field of cosmonautics, with long experience in space research. In 1961, Russian Yuri Gagarin was the first man always to fly into space. Since then Russia has implemented many space projects, including the construction of the global Space Station (ISS), on which Russian spacecraft are stationed.

As space becomes an increasingly competitive market, Russia and China are developing their cooperation in this area to keep their leadership positions. According to Eurospace, the space services marketplace in 2022 reached $450 billion, an increase of 10% compared to the erstwhile year.

Russia and China plan to jointly implement many space projects, including the construction of a Chinese space station, the cost of which is estimated at over $20 billion. This task aims to make the first Chinese space station to accommodate up to 6 astronauts and will be equipped with advanced technology.

It is worth recalling that space is an increasingly crucial sector of the economy that generates immense revenues and creates fresh opportunities for companies and countries. According to a planet Bank report, the value of the space marketplace could emergence to $1.4 trillion by 2030. This is why Russia and China are trying to consolidate their positions of leaders in the field of cosmonautics, developing fresh technologies and implementing ambitious projects.