It has always been an accepted fact that the vastness of space is for exploration without limits, restrictions or boundaries, and that humankind would focus on the common goal of cooperation to explore the cosmos.

　　Sadly, it seems not everyone is committed to this common goal. The European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher said in a brief pressing in late January that the agency will not send astronauts to China's Tiangong space station as was originally intended, but rather remain focused on the International Space Station.

　　So why has ESA publicly stepped back from its original plan at this time? Eric Berger, a certified meteorologist and the senior space editor at Ars Technica, said that the more significant reason is probably political. "ESA understands that to realize larger programs of human spaceflight, they need to pick a side. And now they have," said Berge.

　　"This is unfortunate news, but not totally unexpected. In the past few years, COVID-19 and the situation in Ukraine have made our collaboration with European colleagues increasingly difficult," a Beijing-based space scientist told South China Morning Post.

　　Nevertheless, there is good news, as scientists from China and Europe jointly completed some key tests, including docking, satellite separation and impact tests, for a joint space mission in February. The mission, called Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), is jointly developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and ESA. It is to be launched on a European rocket in 2025 for studying Earth's magnetic environment.

　　It marked the first time a satellite made in China was shipped to the ESA, and for a Chinese team to help assemble and test a satellite at an ESA facility.

　　"Our collaboration with the Chinese side has been and is very successful, with good exchange of information and flexibility to adapt and resolve any issues that may arise," Branduardi -Raymont told South China Morning Post.

　　Both China and Europe have their own strengths in space exploration. In the past decades, the two sides have conducted cooperation projects such as Mars exploration.

　　In 2021, ESA and China National Space Administration (CNSA) provided support for China's Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission, and cooperated on communications tests for the Mars Zhurong rover. In addition, an ESA-funded instrument will fly on Chang'e-6, according to Space News. The two sides also have cooperation in the field of Earth observation.

　　As commonly known, space exploration is a high-cost, high-risk, and high-tech undertaking that requires all countries to pool resources, manpower and know-how. It also requires countries to shoulder their responsibilities to push science further through cooperation projects like SMILE.

　　After the good cooperation between ESA, CAS and CNSA in the past, it is disheartening that going forward there are now fractures appearing in this connection. However, exploring the cosmos should always remain a journey that all countries venture on in unity and friendship. We really hope that no country will follow the U.S. to create obstacles to international space cooperation.