Well.. First of all, competition is necessary for an achievement, but cooperation is indeed much fruitful. And I guess the international scientific committees slowly moving towards this fruitful way of space exploration and "It has to be".. Looking at the past events we can say that the several space organizations are now working together , e.g. if we take ISRO's launch of Mars Orbiter Mission where the NASA took part collaboratively.

So, in my point of view even if the rivalry between the political powers initiate the work, to go further or in a long run we definitely need a fruitful collaboration between scientific bodies.

Looking at the well-known history of mankind, rivalry is a much stronger source of progress than cooperation.

It is exactly both.

But right now, we know that the resources are limited. So, without cooperation we will only loose..

Dear Bijay Kumar Guha, Jan Balaz, Karl Sipfle, Thank you very much for your answer and participation in the discussion. Best regards, Dariusz Prokopowicz

Could be both... Mars has captured the human imagination for decades. Since NASA’s establishment in 1958, the space agency has looked to Mars as a compelling prize, the one place, beyond the Moon, where robotic and human exploration could converge. Remarkably successful with its roaming multi-billion-dollar robot, Curiosity, NASA’s Mars program represents one of the agency’s greatest achievements. Why Mars analyzes the history of the robotic Mars exploration program from its origins to today. W. Henry Lambright examines the politics and policies behind NASA's multi-decade quest, illuminating the roles of key individuals and institutions along with their triumphs and defeats. Lambright outlines the ebbs and flows of policy evolution, focusing on critical points of change and factors that spurred strategic reorientation. He explains Mars exploration as a striking example of "big science" and describes the ways a powerful advocacy coalition—composed of NASA decision makers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Mars academic science community, and many others—has influenced governmental decisions on Mars exploration, making it, at times, a national priority.... Lambright, W. H. (2014). Why Mars: NASA and the politics of space exploration. JHU Press.

Written by a former Aerodynamics Officer on the space shuttle program, this book provides a complete overview of the “new” U. S. space program, which has changed considerably over the past 50 years.The future of space exploration has become increasingly dependent on other countries and private enterprise... Can private enterprise fill NASA's shoes and provide the same expertise, safety measures and lessons learned? In order to tell this story, it is important to understand the politics of space as well as the dangers, why it is so difficult to explore and utilize the resources of space... Dawson, L. (2016). The Politics and Perils of Space Exploration: Who Will Compete, Who Will Dominate?. Springer.

following is an analysis of the uneven terrain of Martian political geographies in the context of western political economic trajectories. Focusing on debates over the nature of Mars’s legal status, the article attends to a key question, a question that has not yet been answered: should Mars be a terra communis — the common property of humanity, unavailable as private property — a terra nullius — or space available for private property claims — or a ‘cosmic park’ space of intrinsic value? That is, should Mars be claimable space, and if so, how could it be transformed into a possession, and by whom? By outlining arguments both for and against the idea of Mars as available for claiming and colonization, the article demonstrates that when it comes to Mars, the historical processes of imperial and capitalist management and organization of ‘new’ spaces are not the only options available for humans’ relationships with Mars... Collis, C., & Graham, P. (2009). Political geographies of Mars: A history of Martian management. Management & Organizational History, 4(3), 247-261.

Expedition amidst economic slowdown sounds interesting. Having said that cooperative approach rather than fragmented or competitive approach is better appreciated.

Considering the Massive investments, may go for collaboration... While popular science writers typically describe the benefits to be derived from their favorite very large space development project in detail, their treatment of the crucial initial capitalization of such projects is typically sparse or implausible. Capitalization is a crucial problem for these projects because the total capital investment required is very large and the investment takes a very long time before producing economic returns. “Chunky” investments are unattractive to most private investors and lenders. Very large space development projects are best understood as massive public works projects which are necessary to open frontiers. Despite the libertarian sentiments in much of the popular science writing on very large space development projects, government would likely have to play a large role in capitalizing such projects... Hickman, J. (1999). The political economy of very large space projects. Journal of Evolution and Technology, 4(99).

Space Politics and Policy...Space Policy is evolutionary in that it has responded to dramatic political events, such as the launching of Sputnik and the Cold War, and has undergone dynamic and evolutionary policy changes over the course of the space age... Space Policy is an integral part of and interacts with public policy processes in the United States and abroad.... following book analyzes Space Policy at several levels including historical context, political actors and institutions, political processes and policy outcomes...the symbiotic relationships between policy, technology, and science; provides a review and synthesis of the existing body of knowledge in Space Policy; and identifies Space Policy trends and developments from the beginnings of the space age through the current era of the twenty-first century... Sadeh, E. (Ed.). (2002). Space politics and policy: an evolutionary perspective (Vol. 2). Springer Science & Business Media.

It is the modern Tower of Bable metaphor or story by competition and cooperation. History is repeating, in tech-know-logical terms, but it is not a fully Sisyphean project. We will surely benefit from the civilian offshoots of this space rivalry, although a lot of monetary resources will be wasted in vain and vanity.

long-term science and technology policy maneuvered in a political system that demanded short-term flexibility...Although building a space station has been an extraordinary challenge for America's scientists and engineers, the securing and sustaining of presidential approval, congressional support, and long-term funding for the project was an enormous task for bureaucrats.... The Space Station Decision examines the history of this controversial initiative and illustrates how bureaucracy shapes public policy. Using primary documents and interviews, author describes the events that led up to the 1984 decision to build a permanently occupied, international space station in low Earth orbit. As he follows the trail of the space station proposal through the labyrinth of White House policy review, author explains the evolution of the presidential budget review process, the breakup of the cabinet system, the proliferation of subcabinets and Executive Office interagency, the involvement of White House staff in framing issues for presidential review, and the role of bureaucracy in advancing administration legislation on Capitol Hill. Comparing the space station decision to earlier decisions to go to the moon and to build the space shuttle, McCurdy shows how public officials responsible for long-term science and technology policy maneuvered in a political system that demanded short-term flexibility... McCurdy, H. E. (2007). The space station decision: incremental politics and technological choice. JHU Press.

Dear D A Gayan Nayanajith, Stephen I. Ternyik, Sumanta Chakraborty, Thank you very much for participating in our discussion. Thank you for interesting considerations, sent data and information and answer to the question: Is the planned space manned expedition to Mars a result of the rivalry between economic powers or their cooperation? Best wishes,

Dariusz Prokopowicz

In the 2030s, the first manned mission to Mars is to take place. This will be the next big step for humanity in the advancement of space exploration.

Regards,

Dariusz Prokopowicz

The Perseverance rover, which recently landed on Mars, is to provide humanity with important information and answers to the questions: Was there life on Mars? If so, in what form? Besides, what are the possibilities of producing water on Mars and cultivating plants in stations and bases that would be established on Mars when manned expeditions to this planet begin in the 2030s.

Regards,

Dariusz Prokopowicz

Dear Stephen,

Thanks for the answer. This kind of technological competition may contribute to the emergence of many new technological innovations and the transition of civilization to the next stage of the present fourth technological revolution.

Thank you very much,

Best regards,

Dariusz