China’s already on the dark side

CHINA’S involvement in the race to mine on the Moon should put Western nations ‘on alert’, MPs and academics have said.

Beijing has launched a series of unmanned trips to the dark side of the Moon to collect samples, including the Chang’e 5 mission late last year.

The Communist state has also said it wants to build a human-friendly lunar base between 2036 and 2045, which could be used for mining.

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chairman of the Commons defence select committee, said: ‘We are in a soft power war. China can cause huge amounts of damage in space – taking out satellites used for navigation, communication and financial transactions. They’re beginning to mine the dark side of the moon and you cannot trust their intentions.’

Dr Mark Hilborne, of the Space Security Research Group at King’s College London, added: ‘You do not want China to get a stranglehold on the Moon’s assets. Western powers should be on alert.’