America needs new mechanisms to compete with China in space By: Blaine Pellicore and Nicholas Nelson March 16 Chinese soldiers guard the perimeter of the Jiuquan space base, in north China's Gansu province, on June 15, 2012, on the eve of the launch of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft. (AFP via Getty Images) 2020 was a breakthrough year for China’s space program. It completed the BeiDou-3 navigation satellite constellation, launched its first independent unmanned mission to Mars, and executed a lunar surface sample collection and return. In launch services, China successfully completed 35 orbital launches (topping the 33 launches from U.S. soil) and hit key funding and technology milestones across its 10 “independent” launch-focused companies. The Chinese government demonstrated its commitment to expanding space capabilities through significant state-directed capital investment, increasingly ambitious mission profiles, and a whole-of-government and industry approach.