World’s largest astronomy museum to open to the public in Shanghai

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum—the largest astronomy museum in the world—will open to the public today.

The museum will be a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and will feature a planetarium, an observatory, exhibitions and a 78-foot tall telescope. The opening follows an eventful year for China in the realm of space exploration that included Chinese astronauts—known as taikonauts—conducting their first space walk from the country’s Tiangong space station, landing a rover on Mars and agreeing to build a research base on the moon with Russia. Currently, China is developing antisatellite weaponry capable of jamming or destroying enemy satellites.

Expect China to continue to develop its space capabilities as it seeks to become the leading space power in the world by 2045. China views space as a key aspect of international strategic competition and is therefore eager to invest heavily in its rapidly maturing space program. China’s ambition to be the predominant global space power will depend on the United States’ capacity to compete in space. Should the US Congress and NASA continue developing America’s space program, it will likely prove very difficult for China to achieve its goal by 2045.

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