ABSTRACT
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has within several decades moved from a space aspiring state to one that many observers rank with the two original space pioneers: the United States and the Russian Federation, the space successor to the Soviet Union. China is “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” 1 For many recent observers not cognizant of China’s space program prior to its recent emergence symbolized by its Shenzhou crewed space-flight vehicle, China appears to be emerging from nothing to unprecedented success. At this level of attention, the Chinese are moving much more authoritatively than the original space powers, which are currently floundering over questions of budget and future directions, especially in the United States. In this chapter, the effort is to assess how China was able to move forward strategically in space and how that success was a function of its interrelated domestic and international goals. 2
