The United States and China are in the middle of a new space race. Whoever sets foot on the Moon first may determine the future of space exploration.
Twelve American astronauts from 1969 to 1972 set foot on the Moon. Today, half a century later, returning to the silver globe is becoming one of the main goals of two world powers – the United States and China. Each of these countries has its own lunar program, and their implementation may lead to a new space race, although slightly different from the one that took place between the USA and the USSR during the Cold War. Despite the fact that The United States is scheduled to return to the Moon sooner, than China, however, we cannot be sure that the deadlines will be met by the agency itself and private companies involved in the project. Jacco van Loon, an astronomer at Keele University, expresses similar concerns in The Conversation.
NASA vs. China. Who will be first?
The US lunar program, called Artemis, aims to man’s return to the moonthis time with the participation of international and commercial partners. The project is divided into three main missions. In November 2022, NASA successfully launched the Artemis I mission, an unmanned flight around the Moon using the Orion capsule. The next step is to be Artemis II mission, scheduled for 2025during which four astronauts will orbit the Moon, but without landing. Only the Artemis III mission, originally planned for 2026, envisages the landing of a human on the lunar surface, and the crew will include the first person with a skin color other than white and the first woman.
On the other hand China’s Chang’e space program is developing at an impressive pace. Chinese officials have announced that their astronauts will set foot on the Moon by 2030. Although this is a relatively distant date, China has achieved many successes, including: sending lunar probes and collecting samples from the Moon’s surface, including its far side. In the coming years, they are also planning a mission to the south pole of the Moon, where the eternally shadowed craters contain resources of water ice, necessary to support life on the lunar surface and produce rocket fuel. While the United States is famous for postponing deadlines, China has no problems even meeting them earlier.
The United States is leading in space technologies, however The Artemis program faces numerous difficulties. First of all, delays result from problems with the suits and the lander. Axiom Space, the company responsible for providing the suits, had to make numerous modifications to the original NASA design, and the landing vehicle to be built by SpaceX is also not ready yet. Starship – the reusable rocket that will take astronauts to the Moon – must first prove that it can land safely on the surface and be refueled in Earth orbit. NASA also needs to resolve a problem with the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which was damaged during the Artemis I mission.
A former NASA administrator believes the agency has too many partners
The complexity of the Artemis program raises questions about its effectiveness. Many people, including former NASA administrator Michael Griffin, believe that Artemis is too complicated and requires too many partners and rocket launches to be carried out effectively. Griffin argues that NASA should rely on traditional partners such as Boeing, rather than companies relatively new to the space market, such as SpaceX. It is worth noting here that SpaceX has been leading in space technologies in recent years, while Boeing has only experienced further embarrassment.
Meanwhile, China’s space program is developing at a rapid pace, without major delays or technical problems. China has already unveiled its suits that will protect astronauts from the extreme conditions on the lunar surface, and its lunar missions are on schedule. All this means that there is a real risk that China will overtake the US in the race to the Moon. This may be a symbolic defeat for the United States, given its historical advantage in space exploration.
Graphics: depositphotos
Source: antyweb.pl
