A Resident, Beijing

The Chinese Government yesterday, October 24, launched a satellite with the bold hope of entering the moon’s orbit to conduct “peaceful, scientific and non-military research”. What was not revealed in the hyperbole of the launch were the comments by several leading Chinese experts in space technology, namely that the main objective was to probe Earth’s satellite for minerals and the exploitation thus of those resources.
If successful, the probe will usher in an opportunity for China to stake a claim to the moon expressely for resource development. It plans to land a rover and to return that vehicle to Earth with samples of soil and rock. There was reference to a specific mineral which is in short supply on Earth.