Russia and China do not pose a threat in terms of space exploration. This opinion was expressed on Monday, April 24, by former NASA astronaut Donald Alan Thomas.
“I do not represent NASA or the United States government, I am a space explorer. And I don’t see Russia or China as a threat in terms of space exploration,” he told reporters on the sidelines of China’s Cosmonautics Day celebrations in Hefei.
Thomas stressed that he would like to see the United States in peaceful cooperation with all countries in space.
As the former astronaut pointed out, although there are political differences between countries on Earth, in space everyone works together and is friendly.
Thomas noted that he still maintains friendly relations with Russian cosmonauts.
Earlier, on April 12, the head of Roskosmos, Yuri Borisov, announced that the operation of the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) had been extended by the government for five years, until 2028. In this regard, Russia needs to create its own orbital station. According to him, the corporation already has an idea about its characteristics, appearance, and this year a preliminary design will be ready. The creation of ROS will allow scientists to carry out the necessary tasks on the Moon. Moreover, a step will be taken towards the study of deep space.
Later that day, Borisov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the creation of the ROS.
At the same time, the head of state ordered to increase the production of domestic satellites for various purposes. In addition, Putin said that Russia has its own unique solutions in defense and space.
On April 19, the head of the US Space Command (AFSC), James Dickinson, advocated a dialogue with Moscow and China to resolve disputes and conflicts in the space sector. As an example, he cited the problem of space debris in Earth’s orbit, which threatens the interests of various countries.
On April 14, US Space Command spokesman John Olson said that Moscow and Beijing’s plans to explore the moon show the scale of strategic competition in space. He added that, according to the new US Artemis lunar program, the Americans plan to carry out a new moon landing in 2025. A manned flight around the moon is planned for 2024.
Prior to that, on October 4, 2022, Borisov stated that Russia would be capable of landing astronauts on the moon by 2030. In addition, within the framework of the lunar program, the Russian Federation is preparing the Luna-25 automatic lander to be sent to the Moon.
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