The Chinese have major plans for space exploration.
China has said it will put a man in the moon by 2025, and begin exploring Mars and Venus in five years. It will have a space station within a decade.I'm not sure if this is unsubstantiated bluster, or if China really will be able to develop that level of space capability. China conducted its first space walk only two years ago. But a major Chinese presence in space is a worrying prospect.
Don't expect China to worry about great steps for mankind. There's little doubt that Chinese space exploration will aim at benefiting China first & foremost. China is not our enemy, but it is a potential threat that has to be watched. Space is currently an area where the U.S. holds major strategic advantages. A surging Chinese space program could drastically change that calculus, especially if U.S. efforts remain relatively stagnant. It's something to keep an eye on over the next decade.
Hopefully Chinese moves in space will encourage the US to renew space efforts. Hopefully it won't (in the short term at least) provoke a space arms race.
ReplyDelete"Don't expect China to worry about great steps for mankind"
That seems a bit naive to me though. Wasn't an important reason for the original space race that the USA and USSR wanted to demonstrate their superior rocketry skills -- and hence their ability to deliver nuclear bombs via ICBMs?