Chinese space programs vs US program: When will China equal US in space?

Chinese space programs is progressing at a fast pace, while US is downsizing its space program. China is expected to equal US in space in the next one and half decade or even earlier, says Abdul Vahid V of NVONews.Com

Recession has clearly affected US space program in a big way. Its major international rival China, on the other hand, is now making strides in space missions. Its economic might is helping it to pour billions and billions of dollars in its space program that US fears is aimed at strengthening its army. The U.S, which recently cut down funds to NASA, has even begun to rely on Russia to transport astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). Simply, as analyzed by many analysts, China is growing as a great competitor to the U.S. when it comes to the space explorations. The Communist regime plans to accomplish lots of space projects, which will certainly threaten the supremacy of the U.S. in space projects.

China’s five-year plan for space exploration
Last October, China announced a five-year plan for space exploration. The news received prominent place in media since the country has taken a brave decision to defy both the U.S. and Russia in space missions. The country is now working to realize a new ambience that will help its future space missions without any influence and impact from other countries, especially the U.S.

The country aims “to explore outer space and to enhance understanding of the Earth and the cosmos; to utilize outer space for peaceful purposes, promote human civilization and social progress, and to benefit the whole of mankind; to meet the demands of economic development, scientific and technological development, national security and social progress,” China says in the intro of its five-year space exploration project.

China’s own space station plan
China has already exposed many details about its projected space station plan. The country has been working on a space station project, since it was excluded from the International Space Station project due to U.S. objections. Though mooted by the European Space Agency for the ISS project, China went on with its own plan to build an independent space station by 2020. Being a major step in this project, China earlier this week sent three astronauts including a woman into a prototype space lab, called the Tiangong 1.

The Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (commander), Liu Wang and Liu Yang (the first Chinese woman to hit space) will spend a week in space working on improving safe life conditions in the lab space station. The country sees the mission, which took the astronauts from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China’s featured Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, as a step stone to the 2020 space station launch.

China Vs the U.S
Yes, we are slowly moving to a cold-war-era-like space war; but this time between the U.S. and China. “Coupled with China’s earlier vows to build a space station and put an astronaut on the moon, the plan conjured up memories of the cold-war-era space race between the United States and the Soviet Union,” says the New York Times. Well, China is already top financial power in the world. The country has allotted huge amount to support its space missions, when the U.S. is forced to cut down its expenses for mammoth space missions due to the persisting financial slump. Of course, it looks like that it is the best time for China to increase up its presence in space.

As per China’s new space plan, the country plans to expand its edition of a Global Positioning System (GPS). It should be a great move for both the military and civilian uses, comments Edward Wong of the Times. Well, the Communist regime draws on both civilian and military resources to expand its space plans, which should be examples for other space powers including the U.S., he adds. The U.S. needs to make sure it sustains its high-level investment in various aspects of space development across the board,” opines Andrew S. Erickson, a United States Naval War College professor, who has been in China for his studies.

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Posted by admin on June 23, 2012. Filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry