The Chinese are 20 years behind. They’re thinking LEO, we’re talking about the moon. Let them put up a station. There’s so much debris in LEO, they’re going to be dealing with the same issues as the ISS, and given their terrible debris track record with Long March, a Kessler event is becoming more likely.
They’re thinking LEO, we’re talking about the moon.
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China not only has lunar colonization plans, but was the first to explore the dark side of the moon with the Jade Rabbit lander
Well, the Chinese may not have the 60 year track record of manned space that we have, but they have through theft and through perseverance leapfrogged to a competitive position in many areas. Much like island hopping to defeat the Japanese in WWII, the chineese realize they dont need to match every effort we have done to be a competitor or threat.