Hoping for the best. And that China would only have beat us by a week.
There is an old international treaty that says no one country can claim a planet.
However, no-one should be surprised if China tossed the treaty in the trash, declared Mars their planet, and enforced it with mechanical drones.
All other countries would cry and whine and poop in their Bidet, and that would be that.
“Hoping for the best. And that China would only have beat us by a week.”
Due to lack of funding, lack of interest, and espionage, get used to seeing China beat us.