Expedition and imperialism on earth have continued throughout history. Ancient to medieval and modern to postmodern, every powerful country that possesses certain zeal or greed for wealth has followed this direct or indirect control of territory. After World War 2, when colonies freed themselves from the clutches of European despotic rule, a new world order started to shape in the form of the Cold War between the US and Russia (former USSR). This race to dominate the world not only played on the earth but also in space. With the success of the USA’s Apollo program, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, space remained dominated by America’s space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Similarly, in the post cold war era, China, coupled with its economy and military growth, started to emerge as the new power in space. It launched successive space exploration programs and is in a race to capture the new land beyond earth.
China’s Moon
NASA’s chief Administration Bill Nelson in an interview with German newspaper Bild has alleged that China is contemplating to take over the Moon as part of its militarisation of space. In the interview speaking about the Chinese moon program, the NASA chief said, “We have to be very concerned about China landing on the moon and saying: it’s ours now, and you stay out”.
Terming China’s space program a military space program, Mr. Bill Nelson further said, “Well, what do you think is happening on the Chinese space station? They are learning how to destroy other people’s satellites.”
China denies the claims
Rejecting the claim of NASA’s chief Bill Nelson, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that “this is not the first time when the head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has ignored the facts and spoken irresponsibility about China ”.
Terming the country’s space program ‘a promotion of the shared future of humanity’ he added, “The US side has constantly constructed a smear campaign against China’s normal and reasonable outer space endeavors, and China firmly opposes such irresponsible remarks”.
China firmly rejects NASA administrator’s irresponsible remarks to misrepresent China’s space endeavors.https://t.co/HlDVoWRrjh
— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) July 4, 2022
China’s Space Imperialism
Overwhelmed with its economic growth China in recent times is behaving like a bully in the region. Claiming every neighborhood as its ancient territory on earth, China continues to possess an imperialist mindset. From the South China Sea to India’s territory Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, China’s land-grabbing mindset continues to inflict conflict in the region. Further, with the aim to capture space, China seems to aspire for the militarisation of the new planets that are potentially seen as future habitats for humans.
China’s nefarious and militarisation of its space program attracted the global eye when China used land-based missiles to destroy its defunct satellites orbiting more than 500 miles in space. The test of anti-satellite technology first time created a fear among Americans that now their satellite systems are vulnerable to Chinese attacks in space. This created a national security threat to Americans and they started to corner the Chinese space program in the world.
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China made a huge success in its exploration of the moon when it carried out the first uncrewed soft landing on the moon in 2013. Further, a significant improvement was made in November 2020, When China’s Moon mission Chang’e brought a handful of lunar rocks to Earth and it became only the 3rd country to do so after the US and Russia. China now plans to build a research station on the moon the South Pole in the late 2020s.
Following China’s militarisation effort, the US has already barred China from the International Space Station (ISS). Which forced China to build its own three-module space station called Tiangong that will rival the ISS.
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India’s effort to save its interest in space
It is now evident that the region of conflict will not only be limited to destroying the enemy’s assets on earth but it will also be played out in space. The effort of China and the US is to establish their colony on another planet first and claim the territory as their own. The constant race to reach Mars and Moon is also aligned with the objective to detect the signatures of oxygen, water vapor, or some other indication of possible life.
In this scenario, the Indian space program is no way far away from scientific discovery. On one hand, India has also developed the Anti-Satellite weapon (ASAT) to defend its space assets, on the other, aspirations to reach Mars and Moon are going with full force.
India’s ASAT mission was envisaged in 2007 when China successfully tested its ASAT weapon and endangered its space assets. Further, in 2018, India created a specialized Defense Space Agency with the support of the Defense Space Research Organization (DSRO) that has been mandated “to degrade, disrupt, destroy or deceive adversaries’ space capabilities”. The aim is to ensure the safety of India’s assets in space.
Moreover, looking at the space exploration projects of other developed countries, India is actively aspiring to support space for humanity. Its Mars and Chandrayan mission is also aligned with the human aspiration to grow as a whole. Unlike China, India’s space program is aimed at finding solutions to human problems.
China not only aims to expand its territorial imperialism on the earth but to space also. Racing with the US to capture life beyond Earth, China is systematically making an effort to capture the potential planets that exhibit life. Space should be the asset of humanity, not any country’s exclusive property.
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