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South China morning post
The United States reaches out to its allies amid concerns China and Russia are trying to piece together space
The United States is seeking support from its allies for its space program amid concerns that Russia and China are trying to arm the sphere, the head of the US Space Force said. General Jay Raymond said at a virtual event hosted by TechCrunch on Thursday: “Our goals are to deter conflict from starting or spreading into space,” according to the US Department of Defense. The Pentagon also said that Raymond had warned that “unfortunately” China and Russia were trying to turn space into weapons. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact He also highlighted the important role of partnerships for the Space Force, which was established last year as the first new branch of the US military since 1947. The new US plan. US to face adversaries in space “I’m going to work really hard to cultivate partnerships,” he said, citing Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, France, Germany and Japan. The partnerships include a recently signed memorandum. Being with Japan, his most important ally in Asia, for the hosted payload program, which involves placing American payloads on Japanese satellites, which Raymond says has saved “dollars and gives us capacity.” A similar memorandum of understanding was signed with Norway, another traditional ally in Europe, last year, saving the US more than $ 900 million, he added. “We are really turning these associations into associations in which we operate together; we train together; we exercise together; we play war games together; we build capabilities together, and it has been shown to offer significant benefits and there are growth opportunities ahead, ”he said. Now already locked in fierce competitions on various fronts, from trade, ideology and even on the polar regions. A newcomer to space exploration, China has steadily advanced its ambitious program over the past two decades to catch up with pioneers like the United States. China vs USA: What are the risks of a space rivalry? China became the third country, after the US and the Soviet Union, to obtain lunar materials after its Chang’e-5 return capsule, which carried around two kilograms of drilled and collected material. Lunar material landed on snow-covered grasslands in northern China’s Inner Mongolia on Thursday. China has also stepped up cooperation with Russia, which inherited space technologies from the Soviet Union. In the latest joint communiqué between the two governments earlier this month, the two sides have committed to further cooperation in space exploration and related technologies as part of efforts to boost their alliance amid shared pressure from the US. That would include cooperation in lunar and deep space exploration, satellite communication technology, aerospace components, and Russia’s proposed Spektr-M scientific satellite, as well as long-term cooperation in satellite navigation by improving The Compatibility of China’s Beidou and Russia’s Glonass Satellite While Beijing insists its space program is for peaceful purposes, its rapidly improving capabilities have raised suspicions, especially in the United States. In June, the Pentagon’s new space strategy listed China and Russia as strategic threats that “have armed space as a means of reducing the military effectiveness of the United States and its allies and challenging … freedom of operation in space.” . In a setback for Beijing’s space program, the Swedish Space Corporation, citing the complexity of the Chinese market and the geopolitical situation, announced in September that it would terminate China’s access to its strategic space-tracking station in Western Australia when the contract expires. More from South China Morning Post: * China vs the US: What are the risks of a space rivalry? * America’s new plan to face adversaries in space * China dodges swift bullet of space junk after Chang’e Moon mission 5 Latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
