China-Europe venture scourge NASA with new Moon settlements

Meanwhile NASA is bearing down to send humans to Mars in 2030s, the European Space Agency and China National Space Administration have embarked on a joint venture to build an international village on the Moon.

The collaboration of the two space agencies aims to have robots on the surface of the moon by 2020 to start building the infrastructure for what could eventually become a tourist destination.

Europe, Russia and the USA have dominated space exploration, particularly the latter, but this is the first time when China’s entrance has been strong and determined to execute a space project of getting people into space.

The secretary-general of the China National Space Administration, Tian Yulong, confirmed his talks with the ESA to assist China in bringing their expertise to the plan.

It is estimated by the planners that the moon village will eventually turn into a city and could one day become an affordable tourist destination.

China’s Chang’e-5 lunar probe will complete its mission to collect moon rock samples by the end of the year. The country will land the first probe on the dark side of the moon in 2018.

The project aims to establish space programmes, lunar probes, a navigation satellite system and a high resolution observation satellite programme by 2020.

ESA has 22 member states, including the UK. Its headquarters are in Paris and it has a worldwide staff of about 2,000 and a £4. 5 billion annual budget.

China is eyeing to become a major space power and with this project, if successful, will become the third nation to independently send people into space.