Asian space race getting hotter

Whoa whoa whoa! No matter how convincingly will Chinese authorities be denying the existence of undeclared but ongoing Asian Space race, another and another steps and proclamations of East Asian governments are confirming this reality. South Korea proclaimed its aim to launch own Moon orbiter by 2020!

Taking into consideration the problematic formal international sovereignty of Hong Kong and Taiwan, the South Korea was the last of the economically or politically dominant entities in region to publish such an ambition.

By 2025 they plan launch a Moon lander, in addition. Which is aprox. the time when US, China and others calculate to put a human on the surface and begin with construction of permanent
base(s). Korea is not space novice; by now it has more than 11 satellites on Earth's orbit. True, none of them was lifted of by their own launching technologie..

To get the race hotter even more, China proclaimed it will launch another manned mission including first space walk in 2008 just after Beijing-placed Olympics..

India signed an agreemet to launch Chandrayaan - 2 with Russia (continuation of Chandrayaan-1 which is calculated to be launched in March 08 and carry European survey device) . Now the project could include both orbiter and Moon lander. India demonstrates its huge will to join ongoing race even though it has not enough capabilities to lead complete space/Moon program alone.

And finally, still the most promising space power - the US - begin to feel the growing pressure from China in the space area. That's how I said somewhere, the reasonable level of competing tensions in international system is the best state to lead effective human extraplanet expansion.