Nigeria In The Space Race

In April 2026, NASA successfully launched the Artemis II mission, marking the United States’ first crewed mission to the Moon since December 1972. The term “Space Race” became popular once again, reviving a phrase once closely associated with the Cold War era.

Introduction:

During the Second World War, the USA, Germany, and Russia started experimenting with liquid rocket fuel, which led to the production of ballistic missiles. These missiles were used actively by the Nazis during the war. With the USA showing the world the power of nuclear weapons, the Soviets were prompted to create the very first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the SS-6 in October 1957. The ICBM is a missile that travels in space before landing to hit its target. This began the race into space exploration.

The Peak and the Decline:

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States competed intensely in the Space Race. After developing ICBMs, the USSR launched the Sputnik program, beginning with the successful launch of Sputnik 1, the World’s first artificial satellite, in 1957. Later that same year, the Soviets sent a dog named Laika into orbit aboard Sputnik 2, making her the first animal to orbit Earth. Earlier, the United States had launched mammals into space using captured German rockets. As such, Albert II; a male monkey, was the first mammal sent into space. In response to Sputnik, the U.S. launched Explorer 1 in 1958 and later created NASA in 1959 to advance its space program.

On April 12, 1961, the USSR achieved another milestone when Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth aboard Vostok 1, becoming the first human in space. About a month later, the U.S. sent Alan Shepard into space, though he did not orbit Earth. Following Gagarin’s success, U.S. President John F. Kennedy pushed for the Apollo Program, aimed at landing humans on the Moon.

The Apollo Program began in 1967 with Apollo 1, which ended tragically in a pre-launch accident. Subsequent missions, including Apollo 7, 8, 9, and 10, prepared for the Moon landing. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 became the first person to walk on the Moon. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union also achieved major successes with its lunar program, including collecting Moon samples and sending robotic missions to the Moon, but it never sent humans there.

Although the United States became the first nation to land humans on the Moon, the Soviet Union led in other achievements, such as launching the first space station, Salyut 1, and carrying out robotic landings on Venus and Mars. After the Moon landing, many Americans believed the U.S. had won the Space Race. Also, the enormous cost of space exploration, the Vietnam War, inflation, and a period of reduced Cold War tension known as Détente (roughly 1969 to 1979), gradually reduced the rivalry, even leading to some moments of collaboration between the two superpowers in space exploration.

The New Space Race:

The new space race, or the second space race, is a renewed competition that involves more space exploration and advancement in space technology. This renewed competition is also paving the way for a long-term experimental project, unlike earlier, when it was mostly exploration. The exploration of Mars is another major ambition among leading nations. In fact, there are proposed plans to send astronauts there in the near future.

The key aspect of this new space race is that it’s an open race where any nation can actively join. Unlike in the past, private entities are actively in the race, and the two most prominent are Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos Blue Origin. 

Though there has been a lot of collaboration between countries in this race (for instance, over 60 countries have signed the Artemis accord, according to space.com), there are still some intense rivalries among key players, especially between America and China. European countries have also formed a new alliance called the European Space Agency. Russia is still an active player despite the economic collapse it faced after the Soviet dissolution, although the pace has quietly decreased. India and Japan are also at the forefront of this new space race.

Nigeria in the race:

As was earlier stated, the new space race is open to every nation, and Nigeria is also in the race. 

While other countries are actively involved in the space exploration race, NASRDA is into satellite research and focused on developing satellites for mapping, communication, observation, and other scientific studies. As NASRDA's former Director-General, Dr Mohammed, stated, “We are not part of the race for the moon or Mars.”

A plan was proposed to send astronauts into space by 2030 in collaboration with China, Russia, and the UK. She even proposed a plan to send astronauts into space by 2030 in collaboration with China, though the program doesn't look feasible.

One of the major challenges holding Nigeria back in this race is limited funding. According to media outlets like The Times of India and Punch News, India spends more than 20 times as much as Nigeria on space technology. Also, Nigeria does not have the technology and experience to compete at the highest level. While most forerunners had their space agencies built in the '60s and 70s and even had their first launch around this time, it took Nigeria about 20 to 30 more years to reach that level.

One way Nigeria could increase its pace in this race is by more collaboration and also investing more in the space program, but with the current economic instability and insecurity ravaging the country, a world where Nigeria leads the race remains far-fetched.   

 

Agboola Abdulrahmon