Chinese Craft First to Land on Moon’s Far Side

January 3, 2019 — Voice of America News reports: “A Chinese spacecraft Thursday made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon in the latest achievement for the country’s growing space program.

The relatively unexplored far side of the moon faces away from Earth and is also known as the dark side.

A photo taken by the lunar explorer Chang’e 4 at 11:40 a.m. and published online by the official Xinhua News Agency shows a small crater and a barren surface that appears to be illuminated by a light from the probe…”  Jesus said: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh– “ Luke 21:25 – 28.   See the next three reports.)

In space, the U.S. sees a rival in China

January 7, 2019 — SpaceDaily.com reports: “During the Cold War, US eyes were riveted on the Soviet Union’s rockets and satellites. But in recent years, it has been China’s space programs that have most worried US strategists.

China, whose space effort is run by the People’s Liberation Army, today launches more rockets into space than any other country — 39 last year, compared to 31 by the United States, 20 by Russia and eight by Europe.

On Thursday it landed a space rover on the dark side of the Moon — a first by any country — and plans to build an orbiting space station in the coming decade. In the decade after that, it hopes to put a Chinese ‘taikonaut’ on the Moon to make the first moonwalk since 1972.

China now spends more on its civil and military space programs than do Russia and Japan. Although opaque, its 2017 budget was estimated at $8.4 billion by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development…”

U.S. moves to speed military space upgrades under pressure from China, Russia

January 10, 2019 — SpaceDaily.com reports: “The United States will accelerate its space program to compete with China’s, a senior Defense Department official said.

Vice President Mike Pence last year announced the U.S. military would create a sixth branch, the Space Force, by 2020 as part of a renewed focus on space exploration, as well as to meet concerns about the country’s ability to defend assets in space.

While the U.S. military already is tasked with a variety of space responsibilities — it operates the widely used GPS system, for example — the Air Force Space Command also has stepped up preparations to defend space with its Space Flag series of exercises.

A major part of pushing forward with these efforts, Pentagon officials say, is to first create a Space Development Agency that will focus on defensive capabilities for space-based assets, as well as better global defenses against missile attacks…”