America looks inward, China looking to outer space [View all]

[LongTomH]

New York Times: As America Looks Inward, China Looks to Outer Space:

HONG KONG — While President Trump refocuses American industry on the earthbound technologies of the 20th century — coal, steel and aluminum — China is setting its sights on the far reaches of the solar system.

China this week launched a rocket headed for the moon, where for now only an American flag flies, with ambitions to land a spacecraft on its unexplored far side by the end of the year. It is just the most recent mission by the Chinese to advance their space program and supplant the United States as the front-runner in the space race.

Chinese plans include putting a person on the moon and sending a mission to Mars by 2025. Here’s a look at some of China’s boldest recent endeavors.

China on Monday launched a relay satellite, a pivotal first step toward ensuring that controllers could land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon’s far side later this year.

The far side of the moon does not face the Earth, hindering communications with earthbound scientists, and making its previous exploration virtually impossible.