CURRENT Space Power Rankings based on objective comparison
1. We are discussing which country is the premier space power today. Not in the 1960s, but today.
2. If you can't send a man into space, you are not a comprehensive space power. The U.S. has no one to blame but itself for not having a successor to the Space Shuttle. An advanced non-human space program is not impressive enough to overcome the handicap.
Let's say the U.S. wants to send an astronaut into space. Oh wait, it can't. Only China and Russia can do that. Therefore, China and Russia are superior space powers TODAY.
3. E.U. has never sent anyone into space. It ranks last.
4. In comparing China and Russia, Chinese rockets are clearly more reliable. There was one partial Chinese rocket launch failure out of 30 in the last two calendar years. The Russians had at least four full failures.
5. Chinese satellite technology (DFH-4) is one to two decades ahead of Russian satellite technology (Strela-2M). Therefore, China is ahead of Russia as the current space power.
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Final Rankings TODAY based on objective assessment and criteria (see above):
China
Russia
United States
Europe