China shoots for the moon

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China is moving aggressively to become a player in space. In 2003, it became the third country after Russia and the United States to put an astronaut in orbit. Then, the country shocked the world in January by testing a new anti-satellite missile. Arms control experts speculated that China’s intention was to shake the United States into negotiating a ban on weapons in space.

Since then, China has laid out an ambitious space program that reveals its intention to become a peer of the United States. NASA’s chief told the U.S. Congress on Thursday that China could put a man on the moon, for what it’s worth, in ten years.

But it looks like some Chinese have gotten a bit too carried away with this space thing:

BEIJING (AFP) – A Chinese company has been banned from selling plots of land on the moon, state media reported on Saturday.

The company, Lunar Embassy to China, had sold a total of 49 acres (20 hectares) to 34 customers before authorities acted, Xinhua news agency said.

The case had been going on since 2005, when the company sued the state after its license was revoked. The wheels of justice do tend to turn slowly in China, but in this case the ruling may have been timed to send a pointed diplomatic message:

On Friday, the Beijing intermediate court rejected its appeal, saying no individual or country could claim ownership of the moon.