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Top Space Force official: China is developing space capabilities at 'twice the rate' of US
By Kristin Fisher and Sonnet Swire, CNN
Updated 10:36 PM ET, Sat December 4, 2021
The Shenzhou-13 carried by a Long March 2F rocket launches with three astronauts from China Manned Space Agency on board early on October 16, 2021 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert near Jiuquan, China.
(CNN)Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations for the US Space Force, said Saturday China is developing its space capabilities at "twice the rate" of the US.
On a panel of US space experts and leaders speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in a panel moderated by CNN's Kristin Fisher, Gen. Thompson warned China could overtake the US in space capabilities by the end of the decade.
"The fact, that in essence, on average, they are building and fielding and updating their space capabilities at twice the rate we are means that very soon, if we don't start accelerating our development and delivery capabilities, they will exceed us," Gen. Thompson said, adding, "2030 is not an unreasonable estimate."
Gen. Thompson was joined by Rep. Jim Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee, which helps oversee the Space Force's budget, and Chris Kubasik, president and CEO of L3Harris Technologies, a defense contractor that develops Space and Airborne systems.
Cooper said, "Hell yes," when asked if the US is competing in a so-called space race with China.
Both Gen. Thompson and Kubasik agreed with Cooper's assessment.
www.cnn.com
By Kristin Fisher and Sonnet Swire, CNN
Updated 10:36 PM ET, Sat December 4, 2021
The Shenzhou-13 carried by a Long March 2F rocket launches with three astronauts from China Manned Space Agency on board early on October 16, 2021 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert near Jiuquan, China.
(CNN)Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations for the US Space Force, said Saturday China is developing its space capabilities at "twice the rate" of the US.
On a panel of US space experts and leaders speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in a panel moderated by CNN's Kristin Fisher, Gen. Thompson warned China could overtake the US in space capabilities by the end of the decade.
"The fact, that in essence, on average, they are building and fielding and updating their space capabilities at twice the rate we are means that very soon, if we don't start accelerating our development and delivery capabilities, they will exceed us," Gen. Thompson said, adding, "2030 is not an unreasonable estimate."
Gen. Thompson was joined by Rep. Jim Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee, which helps oversee the Space Force's budget, and Chris Kubasik, president and CEO of L3Harris Technologies, a defense contractor that develops Space and Airborne systems.
Cooper said, "Hell yes," when asked if the US is competing in a so-called space race with China.
Both Gen. Thompson and Kubasik agreed with Cooper's assessment.
Top Space Force official: China is developing space capabilities at 'twice the rate' of US
Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations for the US Space Force, said Saturday China is developing its space capabilities at "twice the rate" of the US.
www.cnn.com
