China's space breakthroughs put a rocket under Japan | South China Morning Post

A new Japanese law permits private companies to claim ownership of resources from outer space, the latest development in an international space race fuelled as much by national pride as the growing need to harvest resources from beyond Earth's atmosphere. The new legislation coincides with increased interest and investment in space ventures by both private companies and the government-funded Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which in July completed the first test in space of a next-generation rocket engine with sufficient thrust to theoretically enable spacecraft to reach speeds of Mach 6, more than 3,800mph (6,110km/h). With broad cross-party support, the…