China conducts secretive space walk ignoring international norms: ‘contempt for transparency’

China revealed this week that two of its astronauts had carried out a secret spacewalk around the Tiangong space station, marking the second extravehicular mission in the last three months.

Two members of the Shenzhou 15 crew, dubbed the “Dream Crew”, successfully exited the space station to complete “scheduled tasks” with the assistance of another crew member, who remained in the cabin with ground support. Its space agency reported CMSA.

But the announcement came after the operation was successfully completed, with some reporting suggesting that China’s space agency has opted not to announce the latest out-of-cabin excursion.

This screen image, captured at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on February 9, 2023, shows Shenzhou-15 Taykonaut Fei Junlong returning with equipment to the space station lab module Wentian. Shenzhou-15 Taconauts orbiting China’s Tiangong space station completed their first spacewalk on Friday at 12:16 p.m. Beijing time, according to the China-manned space agency. (Photo Liu Fang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

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“For the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), less transparency means more power, the power to deter, inform and disarm enemies, reflecting ancient Chinese strategic values,” said Rick Fischer, a senior fellow at the Center for International Assessment and Strategy told Fox News. Digital. “Furthermore, the CCP in all spheres, not just outer space, seeks a position of hegemon, which means it cannot be accountable to any non-CCP-created rules or value systems, so the CCP has to rely on other There is no problem in not warning countries about it.” space activities. ,

CMSA made a vague announcement last month that the crew, led by mission commander Fei Junlong, was planning their first extravehicular expedition, which was then scheduled for February 9.

The three-member crew has been on the space station since November 29, 2022, which is about 95 days in orbit.

The “Dream Crew” took over for the Shenzhou 14 crew aboard Tiangong, which also marked China’s first successful handover of a human crew.

This image taken at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China shows the Shenzhou-15 and Shenzhou-14 crew waving after a historic gathering in space on November 30, 2022. Three astronauts aboard China’s Shenzhou-15 spacecraft entered the country’s space station. And met with another astronaut trio on Wednesday, a historic gathering that added the manpower at the in-orbit space lab to six for the first time. (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

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International space activities have once again been at the forefront of geopolitics, especially after Russia said last July it planned to leave the International Space Station amid strained ties with the West, which has been increasingly concerned about space relations. reflects a significant change in the worldview that has taken place in recent decades. Stay away from earth based politics.

But space-based dynamics are changing too, and Moscow and Beijing have already looked to shore up their orbital ties.

“The CCP’s contempt for transparency in space is already a global threat,” Fischer said, adding that the threat will extend toward its lunar ambitions.

In November, Russia and China signed an agreement to develop a joint lunar station by 2035, which would include building a station in orbit and one on the lunar surface.

This screen image taken at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on February 9, 2023 shows Shenzhou-15 taikonaut Fei Junlong returning to the space station lab module Wentian after finishing extra-vehicular activities (EVAs). Shenzhou-15 Taconauts orbiting China’s Tiangong space station completed their first spacewalk on Friday at 12:16 p.m. Beijing time, according to the China-manned space agency. (Photo Liu Fang/Xinhua via Getty Images) (Photo Liu Fang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

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They have also flown two missions prior to the completion of the space station, one that will take samples from the Moon and deliver them to Earth, while the other will test lunar landing and cargo-delivery capabilities.

The US has also said it will plan another trip to the Moon in 2025 for the first time in half a century, which will also mark the first time mankind has set foot on the Moon in more than 50 years.