Kenya, China space station deal alarms US
China's Long March-2F carrier rocket transporting the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-11 blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China's Gansu Province on October 17, 2016.
What you need to know:
- NASA believes Beijing is using its space programme to advance its terrestrial geopolitical objectives.
Kenya has been thrust into the centre of a fresh row between the US and China over a multi-billion dollar space programme that Washington says will put its dominance at risk.
The US space agency NASA on Wednesday warned that Beijing was using the space deal with Kenya to undercut Washington and other foreign launch and satellite providers in the international market.
While appearing before the US Congress, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine warned the US lawmakers that US space supremacy is at risk in the face of the planned Chinese space station that involves Kenya and that Beijing hopes will be operational by 2022.
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time. The special vessels are mostly used for scientific purposes, including studying climate change but military applications are also possible.
The International Space Station (ISS) is the only one of its kind and is the product of collaboration between state agencies from US, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada.
The ISS is expected to be decommissioned by 2030, with plans to launch a replacement in partnership with private sector players.
China, meanwhile, wants to build its own space station and has enlisted scientists from multiple countries, including Kenya, to participate in its programme.
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