---
title: "U.S. must invest to keep ahead of China in space"
description: "China's fast advances in military and civilian space technology were part of a long-term strategy to shape the international geopolitical system to its interests."
date: "2015-02-23"
modified: "2015-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Radu Serban"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/techie1986"
url: "https://futurism.com/u-s-must-invest-to-keep-ahead-of-china-in-space"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "space"
---

# U.S. must invest to keep ahead of China in space

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/SpaceChina.jpg>)

- While the budget of the U.S. space agency NASA has been cut substantially, China's space program has benefited from its economic boom and political support.
- Dean Cheng, of the Heritage Foundation think tank, said the U.S. space industrial complex is failing in long-term planning and is aging compared to China's. It is particularly lacking in Chinese speakers with the scientific skills needed.
- Xi has said he wants China to establish itself as a space superpower, but Beijing has insisted its program is for peaceful purposes. Fears of a space arms race mounted in 2007 after China blew up one of its own weather satellites with a ground-based missile.