US Could Be Left Behind From China If ISS Replacement Development Delayed

Tiangong Space Station (photo: dock. CMSE)

JAKARTA The International Space Station (ISS) is home to space research for decades. In January 2031, the station the size of the football field will retire.

After the ISS retires, the replacement station being developed by the United States Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) must be ready for use. If there is a delay, lawmakers believe the US will be left behind from China.

Reporting fromSpace, the Space and Aviation Subcommittee Trial held by the US House of Representatives (DPR) repeatedly touched on the Tiangong space station program. This station is considered a competitor to the successor to the ISS.

Some lawmakers believe that Tiangong could pose a threat to the US. If NASA is late providing new homes for researchers in space, research on Chinese-made stations may exceed US efforts in orbit.

In addition to his research that may be left behind, the US may lose money. The space research patent provides quite profitable income and can offset the huge cost of launching objects into space.

Therefore, the development of a new commercial space station will have a major impact on the US. Their revenue from patented research will be reduced and investors will hesitate because of the uncertainty of station construction.

The size of the Tiangong station is smaller and does not mean ISS. However, in 2022, the space station has more than 20 mini laboratories and is equipped with centrifuges and cold spaces reaching minus 80 degrees.

Tiangong Station also has optical atomic clocks, several lasers, high-temperature furnaces, and many more. All these equipment are sufficient to support the research at the station developed by China.

The US should be worried because research patents from China are also starting to dominate. Based on the National Academies Press (NAP) survey, international patents in the US decreased by five percent from 2010 to 2020, while China has tripled.

In fact, as space research from China increases rapidly, US research is experiencing some unwanted problems. One of the problems they face is the lack of funds so space research from the US is hampered.