NASA and China could soon be competing in the latest 'Space Race' to find out if the planet Venus could support life.
China is reportedly ramping up its space exploration efforts following NASA’s announcement that they will send two probes to Venus by 2030.
The Houston-based space agency has high hopes for its DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions that will aim to scan the chemistry of the Venusian atmosphere and map the terrain of the planet.
The decision was made after the discovery of phosphine, a chemical “associated with life processes on Earth”, was discovered on a neighbouring planet.
Experts believe Venus is very similar to Earth in its size and density.
Dr James Garvin, the principal investigator for the DAVINCI+ mission to Venus, told the Sun: "That quest for habitability is part of our search for signs of life in the Nasa framework. We can all dare to hope.”
Now, Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, has announced that China will be conducting missions of their own.
While Wu offered no further details of the potential mission, US scientists are keen to learn whether they will collaborate with Russia on any future space quests as NASA cut ties with the Russian Space Agency over the current conflict in Ukraine.
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Earlier this month, Russia has put NASA on red alert after threatening to abandon a US astronaut stuck on the International Space Sation who was due to hitch a ride back to earth on a Soyuz spacecraft.
In late February the agency had confirmed that collaborative operations between it and the Russian space agency will still go on, despite the rapidly escalating tensions between their two countries.
“The International Space Station team is continuing to safely conduct research operations in low-Earth orbit,” a spokesperson said.
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