Is the US in a space race against China?

Both the U.S. and China have plans to establish bases on the Moon in the near future. (Image credit: Caspar Benson/fStop via Getty Images)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Headlines proclaiming the rise of a new "space race" between the U.S. and China have become common in news coverage following many of the exciting launches in recent years. Experts have pointed to China's rapid advancements in space as evidence of an emerging landscape where China is directly competing with the U.S. for supremacy.