Long gone are any moon aspirations for the Chinese, they now have their sights set on Mars. China looks to launch a red planet mission by 2021. If they follow through, they will just squeak ahead of SpaceX and NASA for their proposed launches.
SPACE ASPIRATIONS NO LONGER A SECRET FOR CHINA
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has long been considered a secret branch of the country’s military. Now, they’ve been a bit more vocal in their plans for a Mars mission according to a recent BBC interview. The CNSA has a short term goal of the moon, but that’s hardly anything significant compared to their long-term goal. The big surprise came to the CNSA’s openness regarding a military-led trip to Mars. According to the agency, they plan to get there by 2020. This could have been done earlier if they weren’t flagging behind the U.S and European agencies. They plan to not only orbit the red planet but also land and deploy a rover, all in one mission. It certainly looks like they will be doing it alone as NASA has no desire to work with China in this case.
MARS ONE TO BE BEAT
If the Chinese stick to their proposed 2021 landing on the red planet, the Netherlands-based organization Mars One will be beaten. They planned to have a permanent human colony there by 2027. The private project is headed by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp. He first announced the project in 2012 and has since gathered a significant amount of hype. Scientists, however, don’t necessarily agree with the feasibility of the project nor the ethics. Even if Lansdorp does get by those hurdles, the Chinese will stand in his way.
SPACEX TO REVEAL PLANS FOR COLONY
Last week SpaceX founder Elon Musk popped by a NASA press conference and announced that he will be revealing some interesting news in the near future. Apparently, SpaceX has the plan to establish a permanent city on Mars. Even Musk chuckled at the lunacy of the idea, but it’s all too serious of one. Since the idea is still in the beginning stages, don’t expect SpaceX to beat China there. That is unless Elon Musk fulfills his destiny to become Tony Stark and morphs SpaceX into the Avengers. Then, and only then, will he have a chance against the evil empire of China.
