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Too early for US to engage China in a space race
Lunar exploration is dangerous enough without turning it into a contest between great powers.
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A large screen in Beijing shows news footage of a Chinese national flag carried by Chang'e-6 probe's lander on the far side of the moon, on June 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
F.D. Flam
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In late June, China’s space programme brought back the first rock and soil samples from the mysterious far side of the Moon. It was a major triumph. Scientists worldwide are eager to use these samples to learn more about the origin of the Moon and Earth.
At the same time, others are worried that China is on the way to winning a new space race for the first permanent base on the Moon. China’s mission makes it clear that the country sees the Moon as a strategic asset, they say, rather than a site for purely scientific exploration.
