Do you have ideas about how to improve America’s space program?

Over the first quarter of the 21st century, two major trends have transformed the global space industry.

The first is the rapid rise of China’s space program, which only flew its first human to orbit in 2003 but now boasts spaceflight capabilities second only to the United States. The second trend is the rise of the commercial space sector, first in the United States and led by SpaceX, but now spreading across much of the planet.

Both of these trends have had profound impacts on both civil and military space enterprises in the United States.

Big implications for NASA and military space

For NASA, the rise of China has meant the emergence of a true competitor, not only when it comes to returning humans to the Moon but also in sending robotic probes out into the Solar System. China may attempt a mission to return rock and soil samples ...