THE US and China are battling to dominate the space mining industry as fears that a space war could erupt between the two powers continue to rise.
Geopolitical expert Brandon J Weichert told The Sun that the US is around 10-12 years behind Beijing as the Asian nation weaponizes the galaxies.
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He called on US elites to view the galaxies as a geopolitical and geoeconomic zone, rather than perceiving it as a “Star Trek world” where scientists explore the cosmoses.
Last year, China launched its NEO-01 robot prototype – its commercial spacecraft designed to mine resources.
Weichert views the industry to be worth at least a trillion dollars.
He warned: “If you can start mining those rare minerals, you’ve got a significant advantage over the rest of the world and China wants to get that advantage first.”
The expert said the use of artificial intelligence and robotics will “fundamentally change the way how humans operate in space”.
Weichert added: “China is already investing heavily into those kinds of automated satellite systems that they’re going to use to mine out nearby asteroids.
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“It’s going to completely revolutionize how humans operate in space.
“Whichever country dominates space with that technology will dominate the earth.”
Texas senator Ted Cruz claimed in 2018 that the first trillionaire will be made in space.
Weichert claimed that both China and Russia invested heavily in space warfare as they realized America wasn’t “paying attention”.
He blasted American “ignorance and arrogance” following the end of the Cold War.
Weichert claimed that officials in Washington thought American dominance wouldn’t be challenged, and elites didn’t think rogue powers would be “crazy enough” to launch an attack.
‘ARROGANT’ US
In its 2021 Global Risk Assessment report, US intel warned that Beijing is seeking to weaponize space with “capabilities” designed to displace the US in space.
Space Force is aiming to produce more resilient architecture by 2026, The Military Times reports.
Frank Calvelli, a former National Reconnaissance Office official, told the Senate Armed Services Committee: “We are at a critical juncture for our space defense architecture and there is a real sense of urgency to act.
“The nation needs to make its space architecture more resilient so that it can be counted on during times of crisis and conflict.”
While Weichert welcomed the urgency to bolster defenses by 2026, he fears it wouldn’t happen until 2029 or 2030 at the earliest unless Congress provides a major surge of financial assistance.
‘URGENCY TO ACT’
The expert previously warned that Washington is lagging behind Beijing.
He fears a US defeat in space would see the reordering of the world system that would be less favorable to Washington and its allies.
He added: “The US is vulnerable in a way that we haven’t experienced since, possibly, the Cuban missile crisis and definitely since Pearl Harbor.”
The Pearl Harbor attack of December 1941 left America reeling as Japanese forces bombed the US naval port.
The sneak attack claimed more than 2,000 lives and was a dramatic sign from the Asian nation that they wanted to challenge US dominance.
Weichert also believes Russia is preparing to launch a “devastating” attack on American satellites at the time of its choosing.
In his book, Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, he says that Russian co-orbital satellites, known as space stalkers, have been tailgating US satellites for years.
He predicts that the stalkers will eventually hit the satellites, sending them crashing into the ground.
The expert said that space is crucial to the plans of authoritarian rulers who want to reduce America’s ability to project power.
He warned that before launching an attack on the US, Russia would be “engaged in a series of escalations” with neighboring countries.
An attack in space would reduce Washington’s military capabilities as there could be hits on nuclear command and control satellites, according to the expert.
In the movie Don’t Look Up, astronomers warn that an extinction-level comet is heading towards the Earth.
China, India, and Russia struck a deal to extract minerals instead of diverting the comet before it hits Earth, triggering a worldwide disaster.
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