Space Exploration: The imagination gap and the ghost of admiral zheng he

When I wrote Chaos from the Cosmos, I was driven by a deep frustration—frustration born from witnessing how few people truly understand the critical importance of space infrastructure to our modern world. This infrastructure is all around us: it powers our satellite navigation, provides weather forecasts, and enables global communication, yet remains largely invisible to the public. Just as few grasp the existential significance of space exploration itself—not as a luxury or scientific curiosity, but as the defining challenge that will determine which nations lead humanity’s next evolutionary leap.

The Fundamentals of Space Colonization

Today, the fundamentals of space colonization are falling into place. This is not science fiction—this is the reality of 2025. We have reusable rockets dramatically reducing launch costs, early-stage asteroid mining demonstrations, advanced life support systems proven on the International Space Station, and breakthrough propulsion technologies like nuclear thermal systems and solar sails nearing maturity. Private companies such as SpaceX have achieved what governments once deemed impossible, while nations like China display remarkable progress with lunar sample returns and Mars missions.

Yet, as these technological marvels unfold, a dangerous pattern emerges—the complacency of those who succeed. History provides a sobering lesson about what happens when great powers abandon exploration at the peak of their capability.

The Lesson of Admiral Zheng He

In 1405, during the early Ming Dynasty, Admiral Zheng He launched the first of seven unprecedented maritime expeditions that dwarfed European exploration for decades. He commanded fleets of over 300 vessels and 28,000 crew members. These expeditions reached Southeast Asia, India, the Persian Gulf, and the eastern coast of Africa, establishing diplomatic relations, trade networks, and demonstrating Chinese technological superiority.

China possessed the most advanced naval technology of its time. Their ships were several times larger than Columbus’s Santa Maria, which would not sail for another century. They developed sophisticated navigation, shipbuilding methods, and had the organizational capacity to project power over vast oceanic distances. China’s maritime “colonies”—trading posts and diplomatic missions—spanned the known world.

But in 1433, everything stopped.

Why? The voyages were expensive—costing lives and treasure. Confucian officials argued that resources should go toward domestic concerns such as countering the Mongol threat. Though the expeditions established Chinese influence, they did not deliver immediate economic returns to satisfy skeptical bureaucrats.

After Emperor Yongle, who championed these voyages, died in 1424, his successors—facing fiscal pressures and listening to inward-looking advisors—halted maritime exploration. By 1525, shipbuilding was restricted; Chinese maritime power, once unmatched, was deliberately dismantled.

The result: catastrophic stagnation. China lost over 200 years of potential development, only to be surpassed technologically and economically by nations it once viewed as backward. When Europeans arrived with superior naval power,

China had become a victim of its own complacency.

The Imagination GAP

The brave sailors who left Europe during the Age of Discovery could not know what awaited them. Columbus sailed west for months, facing near-mutiny, no guarantee of land, and with no knowledge of the riches and new worlds awaiting them. The discoveries—of gold, silver, spices, and entirely new continents—not only provided immediate rewards but also extraordinary human stories and cultural exchanges.

Today, the fundamental difference between historical exploration and space exploration is the imagination gap. The Age of Discovery was compelling because it was filled with the unknown; every voyage promised new lands, new peoples, new opportunities. Space exploration, by contrast, is hampered by a public that lacks a visceral sense of its potential: the wealth of resources, the untold human stories, and the scientific discoveries that could redefine our very understanding of life.

This psychological barrier helps explain why public support for space often focuses on short-term benefits, without appreciating the long-term strategic imperatives.

The Stakes: Following Ming China’s Path

America now faces its own Zheng He moment. The Artemis program has built and tested the most powerful rocket ever and is about to return humans to the Moon. American companies have made breakthrough after breakthrough—reusable rockets, private space stations, asteroid mining demonstrations, and advanced propulsion systems.

Yet, in the midst of these historic achievements, America is repeating Ming China’s tragic error. NASA’s 2025 budget is just under $25 billion—a paltry sum next to the proposed $175 billion over three years for the Golden Dome missile-defense initiative. The deprioritization of NASA is not a matter of limited resources. The refusal to adequately fund space exploration stems from the same complacency that undermined Chinese maritime dominance centuries ago.

Europe faces a parallel problem. Both America and Europe struggle to recognize that space exploration is not a luxury, but a strategic necessity. The technical means now exist to establish a permanent human presence beyond Earth; only the political will and financial support are lacking.

The Space Colonizers of Tomorrow

The central truth is clear: the countries that establish themselves as space powers today will become the space colonizing powers of tomorrow. Those that fail will watch from the sidelines as others seize the infinite resources and strategic advantages space offers.

First permanent presence on the Moon means first access to lunar resources, and with it, control over the gateway to the cosmos.

China pursues space exploration with patience and determination, learning from history and avoiding the mistakes of the past. Their approach mirrors the strategy that once made America a space leader: each mission builds on previous successes, and the Chinese see space exploration as a long-term investment, supported by sustained funding.

China’s 25-year space exploration plan, released in 2024, sets one clear goal: to make China a world leader in space by 2050. The plan includes sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030, establishing an international lunar research station, and launching more than 30 space science missions by mid-century.

There was a reason why, in my book, I put a Chinese restaurant on the Moon.

Learning from History

Admiral Zheng He’s story is a clear warning: nations that abandon exploration at the moment of their greatest capability condemn themselves to irrelevance. The fundamentals of space colonization are already in place. The necessary technology exists. The resources are there. The only question is whether America and Europe will embrace their roles as humanity’s pathfinders to the stars, or slip into comfortable, dangerous irrelevance, as Ming China did.

The clock is ticking—and China isn’t waiting for our decision.

For my part, I will do what I can: writing hard science fiction that helps close the imagination gap, opening to the wonders and opportunities that await us in space.