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Intelligence Squared debate: Is a China-U.S. space race good for humanity?

Buzz Aldrin on the moon
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the lunar surface.
Photo Courtesy of NASA

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This week China announced it has landed a lunar probe on the surface of the moon.

Nearly 70 years ago, the “Space Race” galvanized international support for scientific achievement and ushered in a new era of technological advancement. And since the historic Apollo 11 mission, the United States has maintained its status as the world's leading nation in space.

But now, China is ramping up its national space industry with huge investments in next-generation technologies that promise to transform military, economic, and political realities here on Earth.

Against this backdrop, the Intelligence Squared debate series asks: Would a new U.S.-China space race be good for humanity? Could a 21st-century great power competition drive innovation and rally public support for science and discovery? Or would this competition catalyze an expensive global arms race, militarize space for decades to come, and destroy any hope of international peace and cohesion in the future.

The motion: A China-U.S. space race is good for humanity.

For the motion:

Avi Loeb, theoretical physicist: "There are resources in space, and commercial opportunities for new technologies that would not be harnessed."

Bidushi Bhattacharya, rocket scientist and space entrepreneur: "A cooperative path to space will lead to incredible unimaginable innovations while at the same time protect vulnerable space assets not just for leading nations, including the United States in China, but also for many nascent spacefaring countries." 

Against the motion:

Michio Kaku, theoretically physicist and best-selling author: "I'm all for the peaceful exploration of outer space. But let's not be naive. The Russians, the Chinese, the United States, we're all working on hypersonic weapons."

Raji Rajagopalan, nuclear weapons and space policy expert: "Any space race will very quickly move into military competition. And a U.S.-China space competition will be no different."