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Photo: Chen Xiao
The United States’ ambition to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2027, which could aid future lunar military projects, shows that it is seeking space supremacy regardless of the damage and danger it may cause. to the populations, said Chinese experts in military and international relations.
Establishing a nuclear power plant on the moon by the end of 2027 was included in a number of specific goals in a memorandum signed by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, known as Policy Directive 6. spatial (SPD-6). The plant would “support a sustained lunar presence and exploration of Mars,” SPD-6 said.
Military purposes are probably at the origin of the establishment, said Chinese military expert and commentator Song Zhongping.
By installing a nuclear power plant, which includes the exploitation of nuclear materials and the construction of equipment such as nuclear reactors and uranium enrichment facilities, the United States can theoretically turn the moon “into a production site. nuclear weapons, “Song told the Global Times on Friday.
The moon is rich in helium-3, a material that could be used as fuel to generate energy through nuclear fusion, Song said. In the name of building a nuclear power plant, the United States could mine this material directly on the moon and then build nuclear fuel processing plants there, he said.
The plan once again shows US unilateralism in space, which goes against the will of the international community in terms of lunar issues, said Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the University of Foreign Affairs of China.
Previously, the Trump administration proposed an “Artemis deal” in May, which suggested “safe zones” around future moon bases in an effort to avoid damage or interference from rival countries and businesses.
The deal blatantly flouts the international consensus that outer space, including the moon, is a “common use by all,” Li said. “Building a nuclear power plant and extracting resources from the moon does not depend on only from the United States, “he told the Global Times on Friday, saying the United States should first present its plan to the United Nations.
“Worse yet, the United States would commit a crime against humanity if it caused damage to lunar ecology and geology through nuclear weapons testing,” Song said.
While Chang’e-5 successfully completed its lunar journey on Thursday, the signing of the SPD-6 also shows the United States’ intention to drag China into a space race, trying to distract from China’s attention. towards endless consumption of national resources for the race. improve its economy and the livelihoods of its people, Li said. This is similar to what the United States did to the Soviet Union in the 1980s under Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” program , he noted.
Its goal of building a lunar nuclear power plant, nonetheless, could hardly be achieved on time by 2027, as the United States is stuck in internal turmoil and chaos, like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Li said.
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