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Chinese Space Official Seems Unimpressed With NASA's Lunar Gateway (arstechnica.com)
schwit1 shares a report from Behind The Black: At a science workshop in Europe this week, Chinese space officials made it clear that they found the concept of NASA Lunar Orbiting Platform-Gateway (LOP-G) to be unimpressive and uninteresting. Moreover, they said that while it appears we will be delaying our landings on the Moon for at least a decade because of LOP-G, they will be focused on getting and building a research station on the surface, right off the bat.
[From a report via Ars Technica:] "Overall, [Pei Zhaoyu, who is deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration], does not appear to be a fan of NASA's plan to build a deep space gateway, formally known as the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, at a near-rectilinear halo orbit. Whereas NASA will focus its activities on this gateway away from the Moon, Pei said China will focus on a 'lunar scientific research station.' Another slide from Pei offered some thoughts on the gateway concept, which NASA intends to build out during the 2020s, delaying a human landing on the Moon until the end of the decade at the earliest. Pei does not appear to be certain about the scientific objectives of such a station, and the deputy director concludes that, from a cost-benefit standpoint, the gateway would have 'lost cost-effectiveness.'"
[From a report via Ars Technica:] "Overall, [Pei Zhaoyu, who is deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration], does not appear to be a fan of NASA's plan to build a deep space gateway, formally known as the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, at a near-rectilinear halo orbit. Whereas NASA will focus its activities on this gateway away from the Moon, Pei said China will focus on a 'lunar scientific research station.' Another slide from Pei offered some thoughts on the gateway concept, which NASA intends to build out during the 2020s, delaying a human landing on the Moon until the end of the decade at the earliest. Pei does not appear to be certain about the scientific objectives of such a station, and the deputy director concludes that, from a cost-benefit standpoint, the gateway would have 'lost cost-effectiveness.'"
There's a world of difference in materials and manufacturing now too. SpaceX has proven that the biggest budgets are no longer needed to enter space ... and, maybe more importantly, that action can be rapid if objectives don't keep changing every 8 years.
It works. The design can be sold, imported and used. The skilled people at a factory can read and understand the list of materials needed.
Generations of skilled workers with decades of "working" with the needed materials can understand the design and work flow.
The steps for any advanced industrial nation is not a generation of skills beyond their industrial education.
Once a nation gets dependant on another nation for its science, that other nation can say no more.
China found that out with its early nuclear design work with the Soviet Union. China had to work around when the Soviet Union stopped its support.
The UK found that with its early space work and its Skynet project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.... The UK was forced to buy into an all US rocket system.
Trying to import new tech from a nation that then says no is not a good policy with the cost of space projects.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"