Abstract
The nature of U.S.–China space competition has evolved significantly. It is no longer a narrow contest over access to space, but a comprehensive struggle over sustained technological leadership, military innovation, rule-setting in outer space, dominance of the space industrial ecosystem, and the ability to forge and lead international space partnerships. In this sense, space rivalry has become a direct reflection—and extension—of broader U.S.–China global strategic competition. This dynamic was highlighted on April 23, 2025, when China’s chief architect of its lunar exploration program publicly accused Washington of leveraging the Artemis Accords to undermine China’s space cooperation with other countries. According to Beijing, the United States is attempting to isolate China’s space program and compel other states to choose sides between the world’s two leading space powers. The episode underscores the intensifying struggle between the United States and China over space governance and geopolitical influence, a competition that is increasingly spilling into the military realm. More broadly, the global order is at a critical inflection point: the post–Cold War, U.S.-led unipolar system is gradually eroding, while a more multipolar, complex, and uncertain international order is taking shape. U.S.–China space competition is not merely a reflection of this transition—it is one of the key forces accelerating it. U.S.–China competition in outer space is accelerating the reconfiguration of the international order and ushering in a new form of great-power rivalry over military power, technological leadership, economic influence, and rule-making authority. In this evolving space race, competition spans several critical arenas—technological advantage, military application, industrial development, norm-setting, and the cultivation of international partnerships. Ultimately, the actor best able to generate, innovate, and effectively employ technology-based space power will secure a decisive edge in space—and, by extension, prevail in broader great-power competition.