The Mars Colony Corporation has been a long-running project since the end of the 100 years war (1453) on the surface of Mars. This is where humans began collaborating with different friendly alien races on the colony.
By the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, the MCC was established as a separate company. This brought a large expansion in the organization’s responsibilities and initiatives, but in the vast majority of cases, they were primarily focused on specialized research and development for the military. This is mentioned only minimally within the whistleblower community, but just a few years after the end of the first world war, the former Soviet Union and China soon established themselves as the leaders in miniaturization technology which includes nano, Pico, and femto particle technology. The interesting thing is that this technology is most often manufactured on Mars for its optimal conditions.
You can certainly say that the western nations also use similar technologies within their own respective space programs. However, they put strict limitations on its deployment and use on the field due to their inherent risks. This is because miniature technologies are very unstable in terrestrial conditions and often cause more harm than good.