ANALYSIS – Who will get boots on the moon first: U.S. or Red China? Communist China is hoping to occupy a piece of the moon, establishing a sprawling lunar base by 2045.
This will pose a huge national security threat to the U.S.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently released a video of its lunar base concept. The video was posted on April 24 as part of the country's annual space day celebrations.
The ambitious manned project is known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) and was jointly announced in 2021 by China and Russia.
China is now leading the moon base initiative and attempting to attract international partners. Among the added participants are several less developed or rogue nations such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Belarus.
South Africa, Egypt and Thailand have also joined the initiative, according to Space News.
Space.com reports on the Chinese moon base video:
The video shows a number of missions, including surface sample return operations, a lander and rover, and supporting orbital satellites. These correspond to the planned Chang'e-6 and 7 missions planned for launch next month and in 2027 respectively.
Together with Chang'e-8, these will form a basic model of the ILRS by around 2028. Next will come communications, power generation and other infrastructure, which will be built on and developed into an expansive, inhabited lunar outpost.
The project is envisioned as a comprehensive scientific experimental base which will host interdisciplinary and multi-objective research activities focusing on lunar exploration and utilization, according to Chinese reports. It will be capable of long-term independent operation, either on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit.
According to official Chinese sources, the ILRS will be constructed in two phases. Space.com explains:
The first will establish comprehensive scientific facilities with basic functions and essential supporting elements around the lunar south pole by 2035. The second phase will set about building a well-equipped and stable facility of considerable scale by 2045.
Hilariously, the Chinese video announcing their lunar base project contained one big error. In the background, it showed an American NASA space shuttle taking off from the moon's surface.
After being mocked on the web, CGTN, China's official news agency, slapped a blur bar over the Shuttle in the video. Experience with censorship comes in handy at times like this.
To reach their lofty goal, China has stated that it will put its first boots on the moon by 2030. But they will quickly return to earth.
As a key part of that effort, the country is developing a next-generation rocket to launch an upgraded crew spacecraft while work is also underway on a lunar lander.
Previously only referred to as the “921 rocket” or “Long March 10,” China's upcoming super-heavy lifter has finally received its official name – the Chang Zheng 10. CMSA expects the rocket to make its first test flight in 2027.
The crewed landing plan is for two astronauts to conduct a six-hour stay on the lunar surface, with another crew member remaining aboard a service module in lunar orbit.
But America's NASA Artemis program aims to land astronauts on the Moon no earlier than 2025. Unfortunately, the space agency has struggled with the budget and timeline for its massive Moon rocket. NASA and CMSA may end up in a close manned race to the lunar surface.
Meanwhile, China is continuing its ongoing unmanned lunar missions.
China's Chang'e 6 uncrewed, robotic spacecraft, launched Friday May 3rd, is designed to obtain the first-ever soil and rock samples from the lunar far side and return them safely to Earth.
It will embark on a technically demanding 53-day mission comprising four components – a Service Module, Lander, Ascent Unit and Return Vehicle.
When the uncrewed probe reaches lunar orbit, the components will separate into two parts, with the Service Module and Return Vehicle remaining in orbit while the Lander and Ascent Unit head to the moon's surface.
Once surface operations are completed, the Ascent Unit will blast off into lunar orbit, where it will dock with the Return Vehicle and transfer the geological samples to it. They will then be flown back to Earth by the Service Module for study.
China is the only country to have landed on the Moon's dark or far side (so named because the moon's rotation means the same side always faces Earth), first doing so with the Chang'e 4 mission in January 2019.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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