China’s space agency has officially declared the United States its first lunar competitor.
of China The US space agency’s shocking decision came after they strongly insisted they would never compete with the US.
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The CNSA stated: Next In 20 to 30 years, China’s International Lunar Research Station and the U.S. Artemis program will compete.”
Their new lunar plan reads: “[We] We will compete in terms of technology and operational efficiency on the same historical stage, in the same geographic location (the lunar south pole).”
He continues: “In the historical context of the time, Race The show of political superiority made lunar exploration unsustainable.
The plan, titled “Strategic Concept for International Lunar Research Station Resource Utilization and Development Route,” was released in April.
It was written under the leadership of mission scientist Pei Zhaoyu.
Professor Pei said: South China Morning Post: “Utilizing lunar resources will be the focus of the competition.”
He added: “And America There is no clear advantage here.”
The decision marks a shift by China from a secretive to a more open space policy, but the United States has always viewed the CNSA as a rival.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said: Politico Last year, “The fact is, we are in space Race.
“And it is true that they had better be careful not to reach the surface of the moon under the guise of scientific research.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that they will say, ‘No trespassing, we are here, this is our territory.'”
In fact, China Successful launch of Chang’e 6 spacecraft As part of a mission to collect new samples from the moon on May 3rd.
And the historic moment was caught on camera as a Chinese space probe landed on Earth with the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon.
Chinese The Chang’e-6 probe landed safely with a load of pristine rocks and soil, a mission that no other country has successfully completed.
The astonishing footage shows a small, inconspicuous bag attached to a parachute descending to grass-covered Earth, containing the first sample of the moon’s “dark side”.
The probe landed in the north China In Inner Mongolia.
Earlier this month, Chang’e 6 robot lands They were the first in the world to successfully collect rock and soil samples from the dark side of the moon, where temperatures are -183°C.
The satellite descended from an orbit about 124 miles above the moon’s surface to search for a landing site, then landed on the far side of the moon.
During what was known as the “Space Race of the 1960s,” the United States and Russia competed to see who could accomplish more in space.
At the time, Russia and the Soviet Union were also embroiled in the Cold War.
The United States felt that being the first to put men on the moon would assert its superiority.
The United States and the Soviet Union competed to prove their technological expertise.
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Why is the Chang’e-6 robotic mission so important?
The far side of the moon, known as the “dark side,” is currently the focus of numerous space exploration programs.
India, Russia, China and the United States have all undertaken space exploration to study the far reaches of the moon.
Not only is it an attractive location for future space exploration, but it is also thought to be a suitable location for building a lunar base.
Scientists believe this could be the most promising location for water-based ice, which would be key to future human habitation on the moon.
It is also one of the most resource-rich locations on the Moon, as areas in permanent shadow may contain ice and other minerals that would be important resources for future explorers.
Scientists believe that so-called “cold traps” scattered across Antarctica are rich in helium-3 and could help generate vast amounts of energy on Earth.
Mountain peaks near the poles, which are illuminated for longer periods of time, could potentially be used to provide solar energy for outposts.
Establishing a base on the moon’s surface would allow scientists to analyze samples for water and other volatile materials dating back to the formation of the solar system.
For China, the landing of the Chang’e-6 lunar probe will mark a key milestone which the country will use to expand its space operations on the far side of the moon.
Data collected by the space lander will enable Chinese astronauts to land on the moon by 2030.
