The US is worried about the possibility of a quick advance of China in space exploration, as it has an ambitious government, hunger for great achievements, and, most importantly, technical capabilities.
At this stage, China is already at a level very close to Russia and the US, but it undoubtedly wants to take the remaining step and become a leader.
It already has its rockets and orbital stations, and the Martian automatic apparatus is among the achievements. Therefore, China can overtake the US in space capabilities by the end of this decade.
General David Thompson warned about this possibility, speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum.
According to him, China already creates, deploys, and modifies its space capabilities twice as fast as the US. This means that the Chinese will surpass the US very soon, unless the US begins to accelerate its capabilities to develop and deliver spacecraft to orbit and other planets.
2030 could be a reasonable estimate, considering the planned and even partially developed programs for the exploration of space bodies. In particular, China has already begun to create a reactor for the lunar and Martian programs.
The general’s statement was backed by Jim Cooper, Democratic Congressman from Tennessee, and Chris Kubasik, CEO of L3Harris Technologies, a defense contractor, with both acknowledging the threat that China poses to the US.
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