Summary: SpaceX's recent test launch of the Starship marked a pivotal moment in space exploration and geopolitics, as it became the largest spacecraft ever to reach orbital velocity despite ending in a fireball. This achievement, viewed as a step closer to Mars, intensifies the space race, notably with China's announcement of plans to launch spaceplanes. 

SpaceX's Starship Test Ignites New Era in Space Race and Military Strategy

SpaceX continues breaking new ground—and leaving their critics in the dust. After years of being told it could not be done, SpaceX proved that they were continuing their climb to Mars with the most recent test launch of SpaceX’s Starship. The test launch was to see if the Starship could make it to orbit. Two previous test flights of the massive Starship have met immediate, explosive ends. But SpaceX lives by the “recursive improvement” model to aerospace engineer: there are no such things as failures, only learning opportunities. 

With each launch, SpaceX perfected their technique. 

Last week, SpaceX finally got their Starship to reach orbital velocity. Thus, weighing at about 5,000 tons, the Starship became the largest spacecraft ever deployed to orbit. Sadly, the hourlong test flight, just as with the others, ended in a fireball. Yet, this test was the longest lasting—and got the farthest. It is truly only a matter of time before SpaceX masters the art of safely launching this massive vehicle into orbit—and returning it to Earth—regularly. 

Once that technique is mastered, the sky will no longer be the limit for humanity reaching deep space. 

The success of Starship is not just about cool science (of course, that plays into this). It’s not about ensuring the private company of SpaceX makes a return on its investment (that’s certainly a factor, though). There are geopolitical dimensions to this wild and history-making project. 

After all, ever since NASA all but abandoned its once legendary manned spaceflight program, America was left in a lurch when it came to maintaining a manned presence in orbit…and going beyond orbit (which we’ve not done since the final Apollo moon mission in 1979).

The Geopolitics of SpaceX

As soon as word got out that the Starship test had made it to orbit and lasted an hour, China announced their plans to deploy spaceplanes “the size of Boeing 747s” into Earth orbit. Instead of using rockets, though, Beijing intends to develop an advanced railgun that will literally shoot Chinese spaceplanes into orbit at extremely high speeds. 

While China has been heavily invested in both getting their people into space as well as developing railgun technology, the fact that this announcement came on the heels of the historic Starship orbital test, should indicate to readers just how real the new space race between the United States and China really is. 

NASA Director Bill Nelson was among the first to congratulate SpaceX leader, Elon Musk, on the Starship flight. Nelson, himself a former astronaut who has expressed some real concerns about Chinese intentions in space (a departure from his earlier dovish public stances on China’s space program as a United States senator), understands the importance of having such a large, reusable ship that can consistently transport personnel and equipment into orbit—and beyond. 

What’s more, NASA has contracted with SpaceX to have the innovative space company build a variant of their Starship that can transport NASA’s astronauts to the moon and land them on the surface.

Of course, Starship was originally designed for but one purpose: to get humans on Mars. This recent successful test was a major steppingstone toward achieving that goal. Aside from the consternation and chest-thumping from Beijing in response, one can know that the recent Starship test moved the proverbial ball forward by the US military’s sudden interest in Starship. 

Space Force Needs to Go Big (Or Go Home)

The United States Space Force, created in 2019 amidst a high degree of political controversy (because it was created by the maligned former President Donald J. Trump) and concern from the other military branches (that it would take part of their budgetary pie), has languished on the periphery of the military. 

Given the importance that space plays in both daily military operations and ordinary civilian life because of our society’s reliance on satellites, Space Force needed to exist in order to protect American interests in orbit. 

Beyond satellite defense, though, the face of war is fundamentally changing. 

No longer relegated to the traditional strategic domains (land, sea, and air), conflict has migrated. It is now waged across the global economy through trade policy, it is conducted in the digital commons of cyberspace, and warfare is experienced throughout the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. 

More importantly, though, America’s rivals, namely China and Russia (but also Iran and North Korea), have developed (and are developing) highly lethal, strategically destabilizing space warfare capabilities. 

Beijing openly talks about implementing a strategy of “space dominance” while Russia prepares to send nuclear weapons into orbit as part of a plan to use a nuclear blast to disable large numbers of American satellite constellations. In so doing, the satellite-dependent US military would be rendered deaf, dumb, and blind on Earth. More than that, though both China and Russia dream of dominating the moon before the Americans can return there. 

From there, China wants to place its taikonauts on Mars first.

American Space Dominance is Needed

An operational and robust Starship program, though, denies both China and Russia of these capabilities. Plus, a safe and consistent Starship program for the military would grant newfound capabilities to the US military. In the age of contested environments, a rapidly deployable, reusable heavy-lift rocket and Starship would allow for the rapid transportation of troops and equipment—at hypersonic speeds—from one location to another. 

Such a capability could help win future wars, where degraded environments would likely prevent the US military from employing traditional power projection methods. 

All this is made possible by one, relatively small American firm, SpaceX. If Space Force means to be a serious player within the military bureaucracy it needs to do more than just defend satellites. It needs to develop a manned spaceflight and rapid spaceborne transportation capability. 

Only by purchasing a block of militarized Starships from SpaceX can this happen. Whether Washington wants to admit it or not, the era of space warfare is here. And Starship will play a vital role in winning that space war.

About the Author

Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.