The lunar space mission points to China's ambition to become one of the world's top powers in space exploration. With China's ambitious plans, space agencies in other countries are showing renewed interest in the moon. The United States, India, Japan and Russia have already announced their intention to land there over the next decade. So what became, the author asks, the real driving force behind the renaissance of the exploration of the moon?
When Apollo 11 flew over the moon, the flight control team in Houston joked that astronauts could see "the beautiful Chinese girl Chang'e" who, according to legend, ascended the satellite thousands of years ago, taking a large rabbit with her. “Okay, I'll look for this girl with a rabbit,” Baz Aldrin replied shortly before his colleague Neil Armstrong took the historic step onto the lunar surface.
And now, 50 years later, astronauts in orbit can finally see a high-tech "monument" to an ancient fairy-tale heroine. China's Chang'e-4 was the first probe in history to land on the dark side of the moon. And the Jade Rabbit lunar rover is exploring this uncharted territory.
The space mission points to China's ambition to become one of the world's top powers in space exploration. The country has allowed the world to admire the Moon by unveiling the first photos of its dark side. Beijing did not disclose its spending on the space program. But he plans to build his base on Earth's satellite, as well as send the device to Mars by 2020 and into Jupiter's orbit by 2029.
Probably due to China's ambitious plans, space agencies in other countries are showing renewed interest in the moon. The United States, India, Japan and Russia have already announced their intention to land there over the next decade. So what was the driving force behind the renaissance in the exploration of the moon?
According to the scientist of the European Space Agency satellite research team James Carpenter, the renewed interest in the celestial body goes beyond purely scientific boundaries. “There is a long-term goal, which is associated with the long-term presence of man in space. If we want to ever work, live and sustain the economy on a permanent basis outside the Earth, we need to learn to use the resources that we find there wisely,”he explained.
The reason for looking for ways to stay in space for long periods is also in the desire to extract minerals on the Moon or asteroids, as well as in the preparation of a "reserve airfield" for mankind if it becomes impossible to live in our home world.
Beijing is going to send at least three more missions to Earth's satellite. Eventually, Chang'e 8 will travel there to lay the foundation for a research base that will include living quarters on the lunar surface. For their construction, China is going to use 3D printing technology.
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“Exploration of the unknown world lies in human nature. China is on its way to becoming a strong space power,”Chang'e Chief Designer Wu Weiren said at a press conference. Preparing for life in space is a big part of the Chinese program. The Chang'e-4 cargo includes equipment to search for water in lunar rocks, as well as miniature "greenhouses" to test whether plants and insects can survive in low gravity.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Beihan University is conducting an even more ambitious experiment called Moon Palace 1. Students try to live in conditions similar to those of the lunar surface. Inside the module, they grow potatoes, wheat and various vegetables, as well as oxygen and water, which are processed in a "bioregenerative life support system".
China is not the only country with ambitions to colonize the moon. Russia intends to send a probe to the satellite in 2022, which will try to start drilling at the South Pole in search of minerals. The European Space Agency is preparing experiments aimed at finding and using water and oxygen. And NASA is preparing the first manned mission to the moon in half a century. She will go to the satellite in 2023.
The prospect that China, the United States and Europe could build their bases on the moon to search for and extract resources gave reasons to talk about the beginning of a new space race. Some believe that China is already far ahead.
However, John Logsdon, professor of political science and international relations at George Washington University, believes that China's success is greatly exaggerated. In his opinion, they are rather modest when compared with the results of recent NASA missions, such as New Horizon, or the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission, in which the probe must land on an asteroid, collect samples and return with them to Earth.
“China's accomplishments are impressive, but it is not something fundamental or different from what other countries are doing,” the expert said. The key question in the next phase of space exploration will be whether China will cooperate with others in space, Logsdon said. Or it will become a competitor to other powers.
“In fact, this is an even broader issue of Sino-US relations in general. Will the two countries compete in the military, economic and technological field, or will they find a way to cooperation? What happens in space will become an exaggerated form of it,”he explained.
Experts believe other countries will be wary of cooperation with China, despite some positive steps. For example, some useful tools aboard the Chang'e-4 were developed by teams in Sweden and Germany.
“China's reputation as a technology stealer hurts the chances of cooperation,” said James Lewis, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. - China sees itself as a participant in the competition. When they talk about the need to win, it's a sign that they think we're in a zero-sum game where there can only be one winner."
Since the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), controls much of what China does in space, there are also concerns about China's goals to deploy space systems to gather information more efficiently than their opponents - or block their opponents' ability to do that. the same.
Whatever the diplomatic relationship in space, Carpenter said countries and commercial players should work to establish rules for exploration of the moon and beyond.
He added: “What we have learned from working on Earth is that we must learn to manage resources ethically. This is something that will certainly be part of the discussion - how we will do this in a responsible way in the future, and how we create the rules, governance and legal framework to ensure that.”
Hannah Devlin