Birdsong about China in space: "They want to be the best in the world"

When space giant John Logsdon took place in July 1969 to witness the launch of the Apollo 11 rocket, it was part of the global race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

It was a symbolic struggle to show the excellence of one's own political system, one of the many manifestations of the Cold War.

But even among private actors, expectations were already heavy in the air - the dream of a space trip for ordinary people.

- Pan American Airlines, which no longer exists, already took reservations for lunar travel.

So I signed up, Logsdon remembers in this week's episode of the Foreign Office.

Record number of Mars trips

There was no Pan Am space trip.

But the advance of private actors is, according to Logsdon, one of the most impressive developments on the space front.

That, along with the nation states that have not lost their role in this new space journey either.

On the contrary: this month alone, unmanned expeditions from the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates will reach orbit around Mars.

It is a new international race and the clouds of security policy have grown.

Victoria Samson, space strategist at the think tank Secure World Foundation, describes how countries with a space presence also feel the need for an offensive capability in space, which according to her can lead to arms race.

- What is needed is that it is safe and stable and that everyone has access to space whenever they want, she says.

- It is a better goal to work towards.

I do not know if you do too, but that's what I would like to see.

What can Sweden do?

Two countries in particular dominate today's competition.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has been relatively alone as master of the field when it comes to national space programs.

But today, China is determined to take a dominant position.

- They do not want to lie behind anyone.

They want to be the best in the world or at least equal, says Christer Fuglesang, director of KTH's space center and first Swede in space.

- It has very great national prestige, but it is also about technology and access to military security.

See the Foreign Office, which this week is about the new struggle for space - who is there, and why?

Watch here on SVT Play, or 22.00 on Tuesday on SVT2.