Yul Kwon:
So, what's the endgame for China's space program? To help us figure this out, we're joined today on Skype by Gregory Kulacki, the senior analyst on China's defense and arms control policies for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Dr. Kulacki has studied and written extensively about the Chinese space program. Thanks for joining us today. So Gregory, why are the Chinese so interested in projecting themselves into space?

Gregory Kulacki:
Well, space technology is important to almost everything we do in modern society, to communication, transportation, navigation, as well as to earth observation, disaster management, and military and security issues. So the Chinese made a decision early in the 1980s, when they decided to modernize their economy and society, that they were going to make a major investment in space technology.

Yul Kwon:
Now is their interest in developing their spacefaring capabilities rooted more in economic and commercial interests or more in military interests?

Gregory Kulacki:
Well, I think it's more in organizational and technical expertise. If you look at the historical debates around the human spaceflight program, for example, what China was really interested in was developing a large cadre of technically trained young people, who would have the ability to manage large-scale complex projects. And that was one of the main motivations for the human spaceflight program.

Yul Kwon:
OK. So it wasn't so much that they were actually trying to go into space; it was just more of a focal point in terms of developing their internal capabilities and human talent pool.

Gregory Kulacki:
But they also saw space as something that other nations were doing, and that it was important for China to be there. For example, the US was planning the Space Station Freedom. The Russians were building Mir. They didn't want to be left behind.

Yul Kwon:
Now where do the Chinese stand then, in relation to the US and other countries in terms of their space capabilities?

Gregory Kulacki:
In human spaceflight, China is decades behind the United States and Russia. They're doing things that the United States did in the very early days of our space program. In other areas of space technology, China has probably closed the gap a little quicker in communication and navigation satellites, but they're still quite a ways behind the United States.

Yul Kwon:
And what's their ultimate goal here? Are they trying to potentially put people on the moon?

Gregory Kulacki:
China has never had any plans to put people on the moon. I know it's often discussed, but it's only been very recently that China is considering feasibility studies about potential human mission in the future. But they've made no decision and committed no funds to that.

Yul Kwon:
Thanks so much, Greg. You can learn more about Greg and his work on our website at LinkAsia.org.