Hong Kong (CNN) -- The United States and the Soviet Union
defined the world's first space race, but following South
Korea's successful orbital rocket launch this week, it appears
Asia -- particularly North Asia -- is the world's new epicenter
for space rivalries in the 21st century. "In some sense we are
already there," says Daniel Pinkston, North East Asia Deputy
Project Director for International Crisis Group in Seoul, South
Korea. "The Chinese have been very active... (also) Japan, North
and South Korea. It's quite a competitive atmosphere." The race
will only ratchet up later this year. In the second half of
2013, China will shoot for the moon with the aim of landing a
rover vehicle on its surface; building on exploration milestones
in 2003 and 2012 with the first man, then woman, in space. India
plans to send an unmanned probe into Mars orbit this November.
Last July, Japan's government set up the country's first-ever
Cabinet-level office for space strategy to oversee the country's
space policy and relat