The government is urged to develop China's space technology. (Photo : Getty Images)
China's space technology is falling short compared to India and the state media is embarrassed that India has more satellites in space, according to state media.
The total number of satellites from India is 104 and mostly owned by the U.S. The media said that this should be a "wake-up call" for the government and the private sector.
The state media's article was published by the Global Times and said, "Over the past few days, some people have keenly followed the debate on whether China has lagged behind India in its space race."
China's space technology is far behind from what the U.S. has done. Out of the 104 satellites in orbit, 96 belong to America.
The state media also said that India is favored by the U.S. because their labor costs are cheaper and that China's space technology has been weak.
"India's "achievements are largely driven by its low price advantage, a weak point for China's commercial space sector," the article said.
Experts agree with the sentiment and said that the technology is being dominated by the U.S. and India and the main reason is cost.
Zhang Yonghe, the director of the new technology department of the Shanghai Engineering Centre for Microsatellites, said, "The launch indicated that India can send commercial satellites into space at lower costs, giving the country's competitiveness in the global race for the burgeoning commercial space businesses."
Zhang added that aside from cheaper labor, the U.S. has been ahead of the technology because the country is doing a better job in marketing the launches.
Even President Xi Jinping remarked that China should develop its own technology for more Chinese space missions. Wu Ji, the director-general of the National Space Science Center, agreed.
He said, "China has been relying on the knowledge discovered by others."
"If China wants to rejuvenate the economy, it needs to put more resources into developing groundbreaking technologies."
