China's progress and this accomplishment are very impressive, the more the merrier. But NASA does have two nuclear powered humvees driving on Mars at the moment.

In the space industry, the US is so much ahead of everyone else. SpaceX is the long pole in the tent, but there are many other startups doing cool stuff.

Despite advancements, China still relies on key technologies from other countries, such as semiconductor manufacturing, where the U.S., Taiwan, and South Korea are leaders.

The U.S. and other countries maintain a strong lead in original innovation, with Silicon Valley and other tech hubs producing groundbreaking technologies and startups.

While China has made significant progress, the U.S. (through NASA and private companies like SpaceX) has more extensive and diverse achievements in space, including reusable rockets and plans for Mars colonization.

Countries like Japan and Germany are leaders in robotics and automation technologies, with advanced systems and innovations that often surpass those of China.

China faces criticism for intellectual property theft and lack of respect for IP laws, which undermines perceptions of its technological advancements.

Although China produces a high volume of research, the quality and global impact of research from the U.S. and Europe are often considered higher.

I agree, we all stooped to this point because all we did was laugh at them as they outsmarted us and played for keeps.

I mean, the first robotic sample return was in 1970: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_16

This is more a case of "no-one has really been able to make an economic case for doing this sort of thing since the 70s."

Elon Musk is ahead of everyone else in space. While nice, this and everything else anyone has done this and past decade in space is much less significant than the far more economical rockets Musk has built, basically with his bare hands.