Asia's quiet space revolution matters more than Trump's Mars hype

The rivalry between the US and China is hurting mankind's quest to explore the final frontier. Asia's quiet strides offer hope.

- Bhavan Jaipragas

Space exploration often brings to mind the staples of science fiction - interplanetary travel, geopolitical showdowns in orbit, and that tantalising prospect of alien contact.

So it's hardly surprising that US President Donald Trump's bold pledge at his inauguration - planting the American flag on Mars as "manifest destiny" - generated such chatter, amplified by a now-viral clip of a beaming Elon Musk, astropreneur-in-chief and Mars-colony evangelist, flashing an enthusiastic thumbs up at those words.

After all, venturing beyond Earth enthrals us precisely because it evokes that singular moment of collective human triumph. Intrigued by Mr Trump's remarks - and by the earlier buzz around Mr Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin - I asked regional space experts what it means for us, whether we should be excited, and what's next. Their verdict is sobering: While an American mission to put boots on Mars is worth watching, it's at least a decade away - and even that may be optimistic.

In the meantime, experts say the rest of us should broaden our gaze. True, superpower rivalries over Mars and permanent lunar stations make for compelling spectacle, and competition can indeed spur faster innovation.

China's cosmic achievements alone - from robotic lunar missions and record-breaking spacewalks in 2024 to its push for a permanent lunar base by 2030 - deserve attention as it squares off with America in this century's defining space race.

Yet as Mr John Sheldon, senior partner at Dubai-based space services and investment firm AzurX, tells me, equally remarkable (and arguably more consequential) developments are unfolding elsewhere in Asia. They may be happening with less fanfare, but they matter just as much for the region - and for the future of our species in space.

INDIGENOUS LEAPS