They are making great progress very quickly. I am watching their space program, they are doing very well.
I agree. I'm no fan of totalitarian regimes but anything that gets humanity back into space is good to me. I just hope the current wave of interest in space lasts long enough for a realistic and sustainable program to be set in place. I like the quite simple and achievable goals they set - they're not overreaching themselves.
I also think the governments of the west might be surprised to learn that the public will accept risks as part of a space program. This belief you can wrap our explorers in cotton blankets and keep them safe or nothing doing is killing the entire space arena (Well, at least giving dictatorships a chance to catch up).