- The US space agency NASA accused China of using the space deal with Kenya to undermine US and other foreign launch and satellite providers in the international market.
- The proposed Chinese space station is expected to be operational by 2022.
The US has expressed its displeasure about Kenya’s deal with China for a multi-billion-dollar space programme. The US space agency NASA accused China of using the space deal with Kenya to undermine US and other foreign launch and satellite providers in the international market. The proposed Chinese space station is expected to be operational by 2022.
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine stated before the US Congress, that the China-Kenya space deal will destabilise US space supremacy in the sector. The International Space Station (ISS) a collaboration between state agencies from the US, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada is the only one of its kind. The ISS is proposed to be decommissioned by 2030, with plans to relaunch a fresh model in partnership with private sector players.
China plans to build its own space station in collaboration with scientists from multiple countries, including Kenya, France, Germany, Japan and Peru according to the Xinhua news agency of China. NASA feels that china plans to establish a leading position in the economic and military use of outer space through such partnerships.
US space agency alleges that Beijing’s space programme is a strategy to advance its terrestrial geopolitical goals, enlisting customers for the Belt and Road Initiative while also using diplomatic ties to advance its goals in space. These accusations from NASA against China follows a Pentagon report that warned China was eyeing military logistics bases in a dozen countries – including Kenya and Tanzania –to establish its military power around the world.
