space-race-2-geopolitical-analysis

Space Race 2.0: Who’s Winning the Geopolitical Battle for Space?

An in-depth geopolitical analysis of the modern space race using 66+ years of space mission data (1957-2022).

GitHub Pages

The Question

Who is truly winning the “new space race,” and what does 66+ years of data reveal about shifting geopolitical power in space?

We dive into the data (4,630+ space missions from 1957 to 2022) to track the rise of China, the decline of Russia, and the emergence of new players like India and private companies like SpaceX. This is not just about rockets—it’s about power, influence, and the future of humanity in space.

Key Findings

The Three-Era Evolution

  1. Cold War Era (1957-1991):
    • USSR vs USA—space as ideological battleground (~75% of missions)
    • USSR led in raw launches; USA won the “moonshot moment”
  2. Transition Era (1992-2009):
    • Russia faltered; commercial space awakened
    • USA dominated as sole superpower (~40% of missions)
  3. The New Space Race (2010-2022):
    • China emerges as #2 global power with sustained growth
    • Private companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin) disrupt the field
    • Diversification in space with India, UAE, New Zealand entering

The Shocking Upset:

Winner Status:

Visualizations

→ Explore All Interactive Visualizations

Or view individually:

→ 2030 Projections

Critical Patterns:

  1. USA still leads, but with caveats:
    • Heavy reliance on private sector (SpaceX accounts for 50%+ of US launches)
    • Question: Can SpaceX sustain this pace, or is it a temporary boom?
  2. China’s steady climb:
    • State-backed with clear strategic goals (space station, lunar base, Mars missions)
    • Prediction: China will match or exceed the US in launches by 2028
  3. Russia’s steep decline:
    • Geopolitical isolation post-2022 accelerated their fall
    • Prediction: Russia becomes a minor player by 2030

Quick Tour

Data:

Code:

# Main analysis notebook
space_race_2_geopolitical_power_analysis.ipynb

# Technologies used:
- Python 3.x
- pandas, numpy (data manipulation)
- plotly, folium (interactive visualizations)
- scikit-learn (trend analysis & projections)

💡 How to Use This Project

For Recruiters:

  1. View the live site: GitHub Pages deployment
  2. Explore visualizations: All 7 interactive charts are browser-ready
  3. Check the analysis: Review methodology in the Jupyter notebook
  4. Assess skills: Python, data storytelling, geopolitical analysis, visualization design

For Data Enthusiasts:

  1. Clone this repository
  2. Open space_race_2_geopolitical_power_analysis.ipynb in Google Colab or Jupyter
  3. Run the analysis yourself
  4. Fork and modify—add your own insights!

For Policymakers:

The data reveals critical insights about:

🎓 What I Learned

This project pushed me to:

Future Enhancements

Want to take this further? Here’s the roadmap:

Contributing

Found an insight I missed? Want to add visualizations or data sources?

Pull requests welcome! Let’s build this together.

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingInsight)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingInsight')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingInsight)
  5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is open source under the MIT License.

👤 About Me

Ekkarit Gaewprapun Strategic Foresight Leader AI-Powered Financial Analytics Futurist Bridging Finance & Data Science DBA, CMA, FMVA® Transforming Uncertainty into Competitive Advantage

Currently Seeking: VP FP&A | Director Strategic Finance | Chief Data Officer | Head of Analytics Strategic finance leader combining 25+ years of financial expertise with hands-on AI/ML capabilities. Specializing in predictive analytics, financial forecasting, and data-driven strategic planning.

📍 Houston, TX Open to Remote/Hybrid Willing to Relocate

Acknowledgments

If you find this analysis valuable, please star this repository! ⭐