The Cosmic Tug of War: US-China Space Rivalry and the Race for Allies

29.4.2025

CODE Explains

In the shadow of rocket launches and Moon missions, another, quieter competition is unfolding – a race for space partnerships. A few weeks ago, a top US official openly warned that Europe was “caught between Beijing and Washington” and that “it’s sort of time for choosing” whose communications and satellite systems to rely on. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr urged European countries to choose between American networks, like SpaceX’s Starlink, and emerging Chinese alternatives, arguing that only by siding with “allied Western democracies” could they avoid the “real long-term bogey: the rise of the Chinese Communist Party.” It’s not the first time the U.S. has pushed this ‘choosing sides’ message – a reminder of how technology and partnerships are increasingly at the heart of geopolitical competition.

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