By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BEIJING (Worthy News) – China will send a robotic spacecraft on a round trip to the moon’s far side within the coming days amid mounting concerns about a possible military space race between the world’s superpowers.
The mission, to be carried out within days, is the first of three technically
demanding operations that will pave the way for an inaugural Chinese crewed landing and a base on the lunar South Pole, sources said.
Since the first Chang’e mission in 2007, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, China has made leaps forward in its lunar exploration.
Experts say the communist-run nation has narrowed the technological chasm with the United States and Russia.
Yet it also comes amid concerns in Washington that much of the rapidly developing technology will be used for military purposes targeting U.S. capabilities, including satellites.
China and Russia have also stepped up military cooperation, including joint naval and air exercises on Japan’s doorstep.
PEACEFUL PURPOSES?
Yet Beijing so far emphasizes its peaceful purposes.
In 2020, China brought back samples from the moon’s near side in the first sample
retrieval in more than four decades.
That mission confirmed for the first time it could safely return an uncrewed spacecraft to Earth from the moon.
This week, China is due to launch Chang’e-6 using the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission.
Officials say it will collect soil and rocks from the side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth in a mission that the West closely watches.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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