Earlier this week saw the launch of the Shenzhou-18, Beijing’s latest staffed spacecraft mission to the Tiangong space station, which was developed after China was excluded from the International Space Station.
But the collection of moon samples and the viability of zebrafish are not the only focus for China’s space sector.
The pace of China’s ambitions has drawn concern from the government’s major rival, the US, over Beijing’s geopolitical intentions amid what the head of Nasa has called a new “space race”.
“We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian space program is a military program,” he told US legislators.
“On a geopolitical level, China’s space ambitions raise questions about how it might leverage its space capabilities to further its regional and domestic political and military interests,” says Dr Svetla Ben-Itzhak, deputy director of Johns Hopkins University’s West Space Scholars Program.
The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) would be open to any interested international parties they said.
Suzuki says the China-Russia station “is supposed to serve like the research station in Antarctica”, which is within the rules of international space treaties.
“But if it turns out to be a station to base their territorial claims, then that is against the rules.” The US is gathering allies to ensure China doesn’t win the space race.
The intensifying competition between the two most powerful nations on Earth, which has been spreading throughout the globe in recent years, has now reached celestial spheres.
Washington’s concern over China’s rate of space advancement is becoming louder by the day as the country has drawn itself into a deep and strategic rivalry with the US and is moving closer to open hostilities with other neighbors.
Beijing has not hidden its aspirations, and a string of recent, successful space missions has demonstrated that the government’s rhetoric is supported by advancements in technology.
In a technically challenging mission that will open the door for China to establish a base on the lunar south pole and conduct the first crewed landing on the moon, the country launched a robotic spacecraft on a round trip to the moon’s far side on Friday. The goal of the Chang’e-6 is to return samples from the lunar side that is always facing away from Earth.
The Shenzhou-18, Beijing’s most recent crewed spacecraft mission to the Tiangong space station, was launched earlier this week. The spacecraft was created in response to China’s exclusion from the International Space Station.
The crew also included a live fish known as “the fourth crew member,” in addition to the three taikonauts. The zebrafish are a component of an experiment to determine whether a sizable closed ecosystem made up of fish and algae can support human habitation in space for extended periods of time.
However, China’s space industry is focused on more than just gathering samples from the moon and determining whether zebrafish are viable.
China’s ambitious goals have caused the US, Beijing’s main geopolitical rival, to worry about Beijing’s intentions in the midst of what the head of NASA has referred to as a new “space race.”.
In a statement made last week, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed concern that China was attempting to establish territorial claims and that the US and China were “in effect, in a race” to return to the moon.
Telling US legislators, “We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian space program is a military program.”.
There are worries about China’s development of counter-space weapons, such as satellite-targeting missiles and satellite-deploying spacecraft.
According to Dr. Svetla Ben-Itzhak, deputy director of Johns Hopkins University’s West Space Scholars Program, “on a geopolitical level, China’s space ambitions raise questions about how it might leverage its space capabilities to further its domestic and regional political and military interests.”.
Chinese spacecraft have tripled in number in orbit over the past six years, according to Gen. Stephen Whiting of the US Space Command, who told reporters last week that China’s advances were “cause for concern.”.
“This is the wild, crazy west.”.
According to Professor Kazuto Suzuki of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, the US and China are competing, but it’s not to land on the moon like they did during the Cold War. Instead, it’s to locate and manage resources, such as water.
Who can use technology more adeptly is the competitor. China is catching up very rapidly. The factor that poses a threat to the US, according to him, is the rate of technological advancement in China.
Although the moon is technically “the wild, wild west,” Suzuki claims that international agreements forbid national appropriation of its resources.
As a general rule, China aspires to be the first in order to monopolize and dominate the resources. A significant advantage in the future of space exploration is yours if you possess the necessary resources. “.
Leading the way in the creation of their own space station programs for the moon are the US and China. Plans for a “Lunar Gateway,” a moon-orbiting station serving as an astronauts’ communication and lodging center, and a scientific lab are all part of the US-led Artemis program.
Since they have visited the moon, Suzuki claims that Americans “are not so interested in owning the moon.”.
They are more intrigued by Mars because they are aware that it is not truly a habitable planet. Therefore, the Lunar Gateway serves as a kind of stop for them on their way to Mars. If the Artemis program is successful in gathering lunar water, the hydrogen and oxygen could be processed to produce rocket fuel.
In contrast, plans to construct a joint research station on the moon surface were announced by China and Russia in 2021. They stated that the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) would be accessible to any foreign parties with an interest. But considering its strained ties with both China and Russia, the US is unlikely to be one of them.
According to Suzuki, the China-Russian station complies with international space treaty regulations and “is supposed to serve like the research station in Antarctica.”. However, that is against the law if it turns out to be a station on which they are basing their territorial claims. “.
To make sure China doesn’t prevail in the space race, the US is assembling allies. Joe Biden, the US president, and Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, promised to send an astronaut from Japan, China’s longtime rival, to the moon on NASA’s Artemis missions in 2028 and 2032, shortly after China announced its plans to land a person on the moon earlier this month.
China is, however, also assembling allies. It has about twelve international members for its ILRS and partnerships or financial stakes in projects throughout Latin America and the Middle East.
Ben-Itzhak does point out that some memberships overlap, though. Additionally, “it is promising that neither bloc has implemented exclusionary practices thus far.”.
“The complex, nuanced dynamics currently unfolding in space, in terms of the diverse and increasing number of actors and initiatives, and no clear end goal in sight,” is what Ben-Itzhak refers to as the “race” that the US and China are in.
“Building a sustainable, resilient presence in an extremely difficult environment is the real challenge in space, not just reaching a specific milestone like planting flags or gathering rocks. This is an exercise to measure our own performance. “.
Chi Hui Lin conducted additional research.
