Europe and China are seeking ways to work together and tensions with the U.S. are running high… literally, very, very high. The old continent and the extremely old country are flirting with each other and with the idea of some sort of partnership for space exploration.
Europeans say they are striving to expand their space program while maintaining their independence and they see China as a potential partner rather than a threat. While visiting China, officials of the European Space Agency were impressed with Beijing's technology, investment plans and intentions to send a manned mission to the moon, and so they want to jump on board. Are we facing a new cold war space race?
"The United States enjoyed a period of preeminence in space" - said Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 astronaut. "In fact, even today you would have to say the United States is still at the top of the competition when it comes to capabilities in space. But it doesn't have the same kind of dedication and commitment that we had".
Cooperation is a nice word. It sounds great. But here's where problems begin. On one hand, Europeans want space independence, but on the other hand, they don't. Representatives of the European space industry say they don't want to lose contracts with the U.S. by trading with China. At the same time, some politicians showed concern over granting China access to Europe's satellite system, which controls their defense infrastructure. Once again, Europe is taking its contradictions to new horizons.
