A spindly-looking silver robot with a satellite dish for a head is exploring places never
seen up close before by humans.
Named after the pet rabbit belonging to the mythical Chinese lunar goddess Chang'e, the
Yutu 2 rover is making history as it sends back images and other data from the far side
of the moon.
The rover touched down, delivered to the moon by the Chang'e 4 probe, a historical first
for humankind -- the far side of the moon has not previously been visited -- and a major
achievement for China's increasingly impressive space program.
This landing is the first time humanity has landed anything on Earth's natural satellite
since 2013.
Its success "opened a new chapter in humanity's exploration of the moon.
China Daily, a state-run newspaper, featured a large photo of scientists at the Beijing
Aerospace Control Center reacting to the touchdown, alongside one of the first images sent back
by Chang'e 4 of the moon's far side.
Reacting on Twitter, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine called it a "first for humanity
and an impressive accomplishment!"
Keeping that in mind in this video, Engineering Today will discuss about China's far side
of the moon mission with achievements in space.
Will China's moon landing launch a new space race?
So, Lets get started.
Like the U.S. and Russia, the People's Republic of China first engaged in space activities
during the development of ballistic missiles in the 1950s.
While they did benefit from some assistance from the Soviet Union, China developed its
space program largely on its own.
Far from smooth sailing, Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution disrupted
this early programs.
The Chinese launched their first satellite in 1970.
Following this, an early human spaceflight program was put on hold to focus on commercial
satellite applications.
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping articulated China's space policy noting that, as a developing
country, China would not take part in a space race.
Instead, China's space efforts have focused on both launch vehicles and satellites - including
communications, remote sensing and meteorology.
This does not mean the Chinese were not concerned about the global power space efforts can generate.
In 1992, they concluded that having a space station would be a major sign and source of
prestige in the 21st century.
As such, a human spaceflight program was re-established leading to the development of the Shenzhou
spacecraft.
The first Chinese astronaut, or taikonaut, Yang Liwei, was launched in 2003.
In total, six Shenzhou missions have carried 12 taikonauts into low earth orbit, including
two to China's first space station, Tiangong-1.
In addition to human spaceflight, the Chinese have also undertaken scientific missions like
Chang'e 4.
Its first lunar mission, Chang'e 1, orbited the moon in October 2007
and a rover landed on the moon in 2013.
China's future plansinclude a new space station, a lunar base and possible sample return missions
from Mars.
China was late to the space race -- it didn't send its first satellite into orbit until
1970, by which time the US had already landed an astronaut on the moon -- but it has been
catching up fast.
While the reaction to 3rd January landing in China -- where economic concerns are becoming
increasingly pressing amid an ongoing trade war with the US -- was more limited than for
the previous lunar mission, the success of Chang'e 4, and the global acclaim it has brought,
will be a significant boost to the Chinese space program.
That program will need all the support it can get in coming years as it attempts to
realize ambitions that are, appropriately, stratospheric.
Speaking to astronauts aboard the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft by video link in 2013, Chinese
President Xi Jinping said "the space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger."
"The Chinese people will take bigger strides to explore further into the space," he added.
Under Xi's leadership, China has invested billions in building up its space program,
even as it asserted its influence back on Earth more aggressively and pursued the "great
rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
The first stage of China's space dream largely takes place in our planetary neighborhood.
In 2020, the next lunar mission, Chang'e 5, is due to land on the moon, collect samples
and return to Earth, while preliminary plans are underway for a manned lunar mission in
the 2030s.
If successful, China would become only the second country, after the US, to put a citizen
on the moon.
Beijing is also spending big on the Tiangong program, a precursor to a permanent space
station it plans to launch either this year or next.
The Tiangong 2 space lab has been in orbit for over two years, and is due to return to
Earth in a controlled destruction in July 2019.
"Our overall goal is that, by around 2030, China will be among the major space powers
of the world," Wu Yanhua, deputy chief of the National Space Administration, said in
2016.
But despite these big steps forward, China still has a long way to catch up in the space
race.
As Chang'e 4 was preparing to descend to the lunar surface, NASA sent back photos of Ultima
Thule, the first ever flyby of an object in the Kuiper Belt, a collection of asteroids
and dwarf planets a billion miles beyond Pluto.
One achievement could see China leapfrog the US, however, and make history in the progress:
landing an astronaut on Mars.
Speaking to state TV after lunar landing, Wu Weiren, the mission's chief designer, said
it was "human nature to explore the unknown world."
Since 1972, that exploration has largely been carried out by robots.
Not since Gene Cernan climbed on board the Apollo 17 lunar module to return to Earth
has humanity stepped foot on anything outside our planet.
There is a very good reason for this.
Robots are cheaper and longer lasting, and can carry out the same observations and experiments
as a human astronaut.
Most importantly, they don't die -- no one wants to be the first country to leave a corpse
on the moon.
This isn't to say the manned lunar missions were useless -- they provided key information
on how humans can survive in space, as well as potential dangers and challenges, which
helped lead to significant scientific advancements.
Those advancements will be key in delivering a person to Mars, a far, far harder task.
China will make its first visit to Mars with an unmanned probe set to launch by the end
of next year, followed by a second mission that would include collection of surface samples
from the red planet.
China's space program is about more than just bragging rights for Beijing.
The moon plays host to a wealth of mineral resources, including rare earth metals (REM)
used in smartphones and other modern electronics.
China already dominates the global supply of REM, and exclusive access to the moon's
supply could provide huge economic advantages.
In addition to REM, the moon also possesses a large amount of Helium-3, a rare element
which can be used for nuclear fusion.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), "it is thought that this isotope could provide
safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not
produce dangerous waste products."
Ouyang Ziyang, a prominent Chinese space scientist and one of the drivers of its lunar program,
has long advocated for Helium-3 mining as a reason for moon missions.
Each year three space shuttle missions could bring enough fuel for all human beings across
the world.
The most notable feature of the Chinese space program, especially compared to the early
American and Russian programs, is its slow and steady pace.
Because of the secrecy that surrounds many aspects of the Chinese space program, its
exact capabilities are unknown.
However, the program is likely on par with its counterparts.
In terms of military applications, China has also demonstrated significant skills.
In 2007, it undertook an anti-satellite test, launching a ground-based missile to destroy
a failed weather satellite.
While successful, the test created a cloud of orbital debris that continues to threaten
other satellites.
The movie "Gravity" illustrated the dangers space debris poses to both satellites and
humans.
In its 2018 report on the Chinese military, the Department of Defense reported that China's
military space program "continues to mature rapidly."
Despite its capabilities, the U.S., unlike other countries, has not engaged in any substantial
cooperation with China because of national security concerns.
In fact, a 2011 law bans official contact with Chinese space officials.
Does this signal a new space race between the U.S. and China?
As a space policy researcher, I can say the answer is yes and no.
Some U.S. officials, including Scott Pace, the executive secretary for the National Space
Council, are cautiously optimistic about the potential for cooperation and do not see the
beginning of a new space race.
NASA Administrator Jim Brindenstine recently met with the head of the Chinese space program
at the International Astronautical Conference in Germany and discussed areas where China
and the U.S. can work together.
However, increased military presence in space might spark increased competition.
The Trump administration has used the threat posed by China and Russia to support its argument
for a new independent military branch, a Space Force.
Regardless, China's abilities in space are growing to the extent that is reflected in
popular culture.
In Andy Weir's 2011 novel "The Martian" and its later film version, NASA turns to China
to help rescue its stranded astronaut.
While competition can lead to advances in technology, as the first space race demonstrated,
a greater global capacity for space exploration can also be beneficial not only for saving
stranded astronauts but increasing knowledge about the universe where we all live.
Even if China's rise heralds a new space race, not all consequences will be negative.
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