Chinese crew enters new space station on 3-month mission

[left-of-center2012]

Three Chinese astronauts arrived Thursday at China’s new space station at the start of a three-month mission, marking another milestone in the country’s ambitious space program. Their Shenzhou-12 craft connected with the space station module about six hours after taking off from the Jiuquan launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert. The crew will carry out experiments, test equipment, conduct maintenance and prepare the station for receiving two laboratory modules next year. The mission brings to 14 the number of astronauts China has launched into space since 2003, becoming only the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to do so on its own.

China is not a participant in the International Space Station, largely as a result of U.S. objections to the Chinese programs secrecy and close military ties. However, China has been stepping up cooperation with Russia and a host of other countries, and its station may continue operating beyond the International Space Station, which is reaching the end of its functional life.

China landed a probe on Mars last month that carried a rover, the Zhurong, and earlier landed a probe and rover on the moon’s less explored far side and brought back the first lunar samples by any country’s space program since the 1970s.

China and Russia this week also unveiled an ambitious plan for a joint International Lunar Research Station running through 2036. That could compete and possibly conflict with the multinational Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space cooperation that supports NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon by 2024 and to launch an historic human mission to Mars.

https://apnews.com/article/china-new-space-station-4dd3c54ac48a7af2e68c7c854ba846e3

[Klaralven]

1. Artemis Accords are only signed by 12 countries - mainly 5 Eyes, Japan, Korea, Italy, Brazil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_Accords

[left-of-center2012]

2. And, your point is what ?

[Klaralven]

3. I don't see how the Russian and Chinese efforts conflict with something they have not bought into

The phrasing of the news article makes it seem like the Artemis Accords are generally accepted internationally, which is not true.

[left-of-center2012]

4. "it seem like the Artemis Accords are generally accepted internationally, which is not true"

From the link you posted

"As of February 2021, 111 countries are parties to the treaty,
while another 23 have signed the treaty but have not completed ratification."

Who's missing ?

[Klaralven]

5. The Outer Space Treaty is the international treaty with 111 countries.

But the Outer Space Treaty is pretty limited in that it mainly commits to not put nuclear weapons in space. Both Russia and China are both parties to it.

The Artemis Accords are just the US and pals. Neither Russia nor China are parties to it.

[left-of-center2012]

6. apples and oranges

Doesn't take away from the Chinese accomplishment