A new report warns that China's rapid development in the space sector could see the country overtake the United States in the 'new space race' to become the world's leading space nation in just 'five or ten years', according to experts.
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This warning follows a Senate Commerce Committee hearing that discussed the growing possibility that China could beat the US in a race to return humans to the Moon. Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstinetold senators thatit is "highly unlikely that the United States will beat China's projected timeline" unless recent NASA budget cuts are reversed.
The report, titled 'Redshift', was published by the Commercial Space Federation, an advocacy group that promotes investment in the US commercial space industry. It describes how China's space infrastructure and solar system exploration capability have developed rapidly over the past decade, with improvements showing no signs of slowing down.
The 112-page document contains the latest information on China's various space assets and missions, including its new space station, growing mega-satellite clusters, and plans to visit and colonize the Moon.
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'China is not just trying to catch up — it is setting the pace, disrupting and, in some cases, redefining what leadership means on Earth and beyond,' the researchers wrote in the report. 'China's space rise — driven by disciplined policy, strategic investments and sweeping technological successes — has fundamentally reshaped the realm in which global power is contested.'
One of the most concerning issues raised in the report about the US is the possibility that China could become the first nation to return humans to the Moon since 1972. While Artemis have faced delays, in part due to problems with SpaceX, China continues to achieve "major milestones" in its plan to land astronauts by 2030. These milestones include detailed mapping of the lunar surface, returning historic lunar samples to Earth, and building super-sized rockets. NASA aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2027.
China also plans to build a fully operational base on the Moon, equipped with an autonomous nuclear reactor, as early as 2035. This could help the nation claim valuable lunar mining materials and give them an advantage in the race to eventually send humans to Mars.
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Another area where China is likely to dominate is in low Earth orbit, thanks to the recently completed Tiangong, which will become the only major state-owned space station in operation once the International Space Station (ISS) is retired at the end of this decade.
