August 14, 2020
Russia and China Playing Musical Chairs in Zero Gravity
As SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket hurled the Dragon capsule and its two astronauts into orbit, marking the first human spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011 and the first ever for a commercial company, Russia saw its monopoly on putting humans in space fade rapidly into the background. Coupled with the return of human spaceflight to the United States, China continues its march toward its own sustained human spaceflight with its Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket and new spacecraft initiative. Russia, who is unique in having close ties to both U.S. and Chinese space programs, stands at a crossroads. Russia can seek greater cooperation in space with China and risk losing technology, or risk losing any benefit it could gain from greater cooperation and still watch China pull ahead. Regardless of the trajectory the Sino-Russian relationship takes, there are significant implications for U.S. national security.
American defense planners need to not overinflate the threat of Russian-Chinese cooperation, but still understand and plan for those areas where their combined efforts might lead to new capabilities.
Russia and China currently cooperate in space for material benefit, broader strategic foreign policy goals, and potential military benefits. However, their space cooperation, just like defense cooperation, is constrained by a level of mistrust, the need to protect defense-related technologies, and disparities in economic strength and priorities.
Read the full article in War on the Rocks.
More from CNAS
-
What Could Europe’s Loan to Ukraine Mean for Moscow?
Video
The European Union has given a preliminary green light to unblock a $AU148 billion loan for Ukraine. Jim Townsend from the Center for a New American Security says the loan is ...
By Jim Townsend
-
The War in Iran, a Benefit to Putin
Podcast
While the world's attention has turned to the war with Iran, the war in Ukraine continues. Russia has seemingly kicked off its spring offensive, but a meaningful breakthrough ...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
The United States, Iran, and the Risk to NATO
Podcast
On March 14, in the wake of a global energy shock triggered by the United States military campaign against Iran, President Donald Trump called on allies to help reopen the Str...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Europe’s New Nuclear Deterrence Debate and France’s Answer
Podcast
On March 2, 2026, in a speech at France’s Île Longue base, French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled major changes to France’s nuclear deterrence doctrine. First, Macron annou...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
