Han media: "China is expected to surpass the United States and become the world's top space power within five to ten years!"
On October 18, the South Korean media "Seoul Economic Daily" published an article stating that the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), representing the U.S. space industry, released a report indicating that China may surpass the United States within five to ten years, becoming a top-tier space power in the world.
Shortly before the release of this report, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing discussed the possibility of China beating the United States in the human lunar landing race. At that time, Jim Bridenstine, former administrator of NASA, warned: "Unless NASA's budget cutting policies are reversed, the United States will hardly be able to catch up with China's pace."
The report includes the latest information on China's new space station, satellite clusters, manned lunar exploration and base construction, as well as other space missions.
The report stated: "China is not only catching up, but leading the trend, sometimes even redefining the leadership in Earth and space fields. Driven by strict policies, strategic investments, and rapid technological advancements, China's expanding space capabilities are fundamentally reshaping the global power structure."
The report said that China could become the first country since 1972 to send humans to the moon. The NASA's "Artemis" mission has been hindered by delays in the development of SpaceX's Starship rocket, while China has steadily achieved key milestones for its 2030 goal of manned lunar landing. These milestones include accurately mapping the lunar surface, bringing back lunar samples to Earth, and developing its own super-large rocket. NASA's current goal is a manned lunar landing in 2027.
China also plans to build a fully operational lunar base equipped with an autonomous nuclear reactor by 2035. This will serve as a stepping stone for future human exploration of Mars.
Another area of competition is low Earth orbit. China has built the Tiangong space station, which will become the only national space station once the International Space Station (ISS) retires. NASA is collaborating with private companies to develop a space station. China is also building its own satellite network to compete with SpaceX's Starlink.
The report pointed out that large-scale financial support for commercial space companies in China, as well as its willingness to cooperate with other countries such as Russia, India, and Japan, is a key factor in its rapid growth.
Jonathan Rolf, a space policy analyst at Arizona State University and co-author of the report, expressed particular shock at the rapid development of China's space capabilities. He said, "I thought I had a good understanding of this field, but seeing how much things have changed, I was shocked. Just three years later, I had to update almost everything."
At the same time, due to the Trump administration cutting NASA's budget by nearly half, the U.S. space industry is facing significant constraints.
David Kowalski, chairman of the CSF, said: "The United States still leads in many areas, but China is moving forward rapidly. If we do not take active measures, China will surpass us within five to ten years."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846293522064713/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.