BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: CHINA’S PROGRESS IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY DURING THE TENTH 5-YEAR PLAN AND THE U.S. RESPONSE

The advance of the Chinese space program has
laid a foundation for that country to enter into the top
tier of space powers. In recent years, China has made
important progress across a broad range of space
technologies including launchers, launch schedules,
satellites, and human space flight, and has taken a
leading role in regional space cooperation.
This monograph examines how the United States
should respond to China’s rise as a major space power
based on China’s space activities during the period
of the Tenth 5-Year Plan (2001-05). It finds that the
Chinese space program made impressive gains during
the Tenth 5-year Plan, but when compared with the
other major space powers, China’s space technology
still lags behind.