As China’s moon ambitions soar, it admits it is in a moon race with the US

“In the history of that period, the race to show the level of political power made the exploration of the moon impossible,” the plan said.

“It can be seen in the next 20 to 30 years, the International Lunar Research Station of China and the US Artemis program will compete in terms of technology and efficiency on the same historical level and in the same geographic location (the south pole of the moon),” it said.

The new plan, “Strategic Concept of Resource Utilization Development Route of the International Lunar Research Station”, was written under the leadership of Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of CNSA’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, and published in the Chinese Journal of Astronautics in April. .

“And countries like the United States don’t have a clear indication of this.”

Washington has long made China a candidate in this new lunar eclipse, seeing the race as a natural one.

“It’s a fact: we are in a space race“said Nasa chief Bill Nelson in an interview on China’s demand for the moon with Politico in January 2023.

“And indeed we had better be on our guard lest they reach a place in the moon under the guise of science research. And it is not beyond the government that they can say, ‘Leave it, we are here, this is our territory,’” he said.

But China sees the game differently, according to Pei.

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China’s Chang’e-6 touches down on the far side of the moon on a mission to bring rock samples back to Earth

Beijing hopes to replicate its global success by carrying out large-scale projects on the moon. It will help to establish technology, production and economy to encourage many countries to stop following the United States and participate in China’s efforts to use the resources of the moon, according to the plan.

“Using the resources of the moon is a scientific challenge, a technological and an economic reward. Quality and success will be the main criteria of evaluation, to guide the construction, operation and sustainable development, ” is the letter of Pei’s team.

The soil of the moon is very rich in titanium and steel, two metals that can be used to produce aircraft parts. China has also found many water molecules in its recently discovered samples, a resource missed by the Apollo mission.

These molecules of hydrogen and oxygen, captured in the soil of the moon, showed the possibility of up to 270 billion tons of water resources on the moon, which can be used by produce fuel, water and oxygen for astronauts, the Chinese space agency said on social media. media.

According to the latest plan, China will launch two large spaceships in the next few years to conduct detailed research of these resources and prove the key technologies for resource utilization. By 2030, collaboration between humans and intelligent machines is expected to be achieved on the moon.

Starting in 2035, China plans to “carry out large-scale energy acquisition, large-scale production and construction of the moon” to achieve “engineering applications such as oxygen and water production from the soil of the moon, collecting minerals and finding materials, manufacturing metal parts, and building buildings on the moon”.

A monthly resource survey will also be completed during this period covering a width of a thousand kilometers and a depth of hundreds of meters.

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe, which made news around the world, was the first human craft ever to land on the far side of the moon when it touched down earlier this month. Photo: Reuters — China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe, which made world news, was the first human spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon when dropped earlier this month. Photo: Reuters

By 2045, China’s moon will have major facilities such as power plants, factories, scientific research institutions, rocket launch sites, tourist centers and a small underground city. .

China’s resource-exploring robots will roam the entire planet. It is estimated that more than half of the investment in the construction and operation of these facilities will come from countries other than China, and will going into a bad economic situation. Humans will use this platform as a starting point to explore Mars.

“China will be a leader in human deep research projects,” the plan said.

China’s first lunar probe, Chang’e-1, was launched in 2007. Due to lack of experience and confidence, this small two-ton satellite orbited the earth for more than two weeks before landing on the moon.

Immediately after the launch, the chief of the lunar exploration project, Luan Enjie, told the Xinhua News Agency: “China will not participate in any kind of lunar competition with any country. .”

But it took less than 15 years for the balance of power to change. China has sent a rover to Mars, established the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to compete with GPS, and installed the world’s largest earth observation. satellite communication capable of tracking F-22 fighters.

It has also completed the construction of an independent space station – something that the United States has never achieved – and developed the only one in the world. satellite high-speed communications it can directly connect millions of smartphones around the world at a distance of 36,000km.

China’s lunar exploration program has also reached global heights. Last month, the Chang’e-6 luxury aircraft touch down on the far side of the moon, where there was no other country, and collected stones and earth. These examples will return to the world.

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China’s Chang’e 6 launches historic collection of first rock samples from far side of moon

Although the United States began exploring the moon earlier, due to mission delays and limited funding, “it has lost its lead,” Pei’s team wrote.

To counter China’s advances, the U.S. government has commissioned private sector lunar missions, believing they can build a better lunar base than Nasa. To encourage these private players, the US Congress made a law that confirms the principle: “First to explore, first to own.”

However, the first private US missions for months have been stumbling. Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lunar lander, the first US spacecraft to attempt a lunar landing in decades, burned in a failed attempt. Odysseus lander also faced technical problems and flip it over after landing at a higher speed than expected.

Of the US Artemis program including a space station called Gateway orbiting the moon. However, the realization of this plan has been met with skepticism in China’s space industry, because the United States has not yet succeeded in building a full space station, even in the orbit of the world.

The US Skylab space laboratory worked for less than a year before it crashed, and the main technology of the International Space Station is provided by Russia.

SpaceX’s Starship has achieved great success in test flights. Although this giant spaceship still needs more research and advanced technology to fly to the moon, some Chinese space engineers believe that the United States’ best hope in the race.

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