A retired Air Force Lieutenant has warned the US will 'become a victim' amid China and Russia signing a deal to build a power plant on the Moon.
On April 23, a senior representative of China unveiled the country's plan to build a nuclear plant on the Moon.
The aim? Powering the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) it's planning with Russia, currently set to be completed by 2036.
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Following the signing of the memorandum between Russia's Roscosmos state space corporation and China National Space Administration (CNSA), Roscosmos detailed the station will 'conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the prospect of a human being's presence on the Moon'.
But what does this mean for the US?
Retired US Air Force Lieutenant's warning about not knowing what China is 'doing' on the Moon
Steven Kwast is a retired US Air Force Lieutenant General who graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1986 with a degree in astronautical engineering.
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He reportedly served 33 years in the air force and has over 3,300 flight hours while also holding 'a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard'.
Since he retired, he's gone on to be a 'key advocate for the US Space Force', leading 'innovation in space technology and speaks on national security, space policy, and economic development beyond Earth'.
He's also the co-founder and CEO of SpaceBilt - 'a company reimagining the entire spacecraft lifecycle to enable scalable, sustainable space infrastructure'.
And during an appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show, Kwast spoke about harnessing the potential power of Helium-3 available on the Moon to power the globe for 'thousands' of years.
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However, he then went on to argue the 'twist there' is China is 'there on the Moon, on the far side of the Moon' and 'we don't know what they're doing'.
"Because we don't have the infrastructure up there to even see what's going on," Kwast added.
Why we can't see one side of the Moon from Earth
Kwast reflected 'many people' probably don't realize 'you can only see one side of the Moon in the way that it rotates and orbits around the Earth'.
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"It is a very interesting phenomenon in orbital mechanics, and so if we have a constellation of satellites flying around the Moon that can see and understand what's going on, we're blind and that's one reason they're over there," he said.
Kwast argued 'we do know' China is 'mining helium three' but what else the US can tell?
Well, not much, and he noted the US needs a better 'strategy'.
The difference in 'strategy' between the US and China when it comes to the Moon
Kwast continued: "This goes back to a strategy and why I'm in the space business because space is the place where if America does not change our strategy and how we're investing in space, we will become victims to others that use space as a way of dominating the energy market but also the information market."
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He argued China has been on the other side of the Moon for at least two years and despite the US having great technology, Kwast resolved: "What beats good technology is superior strategy. [...] [China is] building a strategy of logistics and infrastructure in space that will change the game for the energy and information market on earth.
"And we' are on a strategy that builds better satellites to do the things we've done before."
Topics: US News, Technology, World News, Russia, China, International Space Station, Moon, Space
Poppy Bilderbeck