China’s space agency has officially declared the US a competitor on the moon for the first time.
The shock decision by China’s National Space Administration comes after they vehemently declared they would never compete with the US.
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The CNSA said: “It is foreseeable that in other In 20 to 30 years, China’s International Lunar Research Station and the US Artemis program will compete.”
Their new lunar plan stated: “[We] it will compete in terms of technology and operational efficiency on the same historical stage and in the same geographical location (the south pole of the moon).
He continued: “In the historical context of that period, race to demonstrate superior political strength made lunar exploration untenable,
The plan, titled “International Lunar Research Station Resource Utilization Development Pathway Concept,” was unveiled in April.
It was written under the leadership of mission scientist Pei Zhaoyu.
Prof. Pei told the South China Morning Post: “Using lunar resources will become the focus of competition.”
He added: “And places like United States you don’t have a particular advantage in this.”
The decision marks China’s shift from a secretive to a more open space policy – but Washington has always seen the CNSA as a rival.
NASA chief Bill Nelson admitted to Politico last year: “It’s a fact: we’re in a space race.
“And it’s true that we’d better take care that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research.
“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility for them to say, ‘Stay out, we’re here, this is our territory.’
In fact, China successfully launched its Chang’e-6 spacecraft as part of its mission to retrieve new samples from the Moon on May 3.
And the monumental moment China’s space probe landed on Earth carrying the first-ever sample from the dark side of the moon was caught on camera.
China’s Chang’e-6 probe has landed safely with rocks and soil intact – a mission no other country has successfully completed.
The incredible footage shows the small, simple bag attached to a parachute as it descends to the grassy Earth containing the first sample of the “dark side” of the moon.
The probe landed in northern China in the Inner Mongolia region.
Earlier this month the Chang’e-6 rover landed on the -183 degrees Celsius dark side of the moon before successfully taking samples of rocks and soil in a world first.
The satellite touched down on the far side of the moon after descending from its orbit of about 124 miles above the moon’s surface to find a landing site.
During what has been called the “Space Race of the 1960s,” the US and Russia engaged in a competition to see who could reach the furthest in space.
Both nations, Russia then the USSR, were also involved in the Cold War.
The United States thought it could claim dominance if it were the first to send a man to the moon.
It saw the Americans and Soviets compete to prove their technological expertise.
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Why is the mission of the Chang’e 6 robots so important?
The far side of the Moon, called the ‘dark side’, has now become the focal point of many space exploration programs.
India, Russia, China and the US are all involved in space developments to study the far side of the Moon.
It is considered to be not only a compelling site for future space exploration, but also a suitable site for lunar outposts.
Scientists believe it could be the most promising site for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon.
It is also one of the most resource-dense areas of the Moon. Permanent shadow sites on the Moon may contain ice and other minerals, which would be vital resources for future explorers.
Scientists think there is an abundance of Helium-3 in so-called polluted ‘cold traps’ around the South Pole, which could help produce large amounts of energy here on Earth.
Mountain peaks near the pole – which are illuminated for longer periods – can be used to provide solar power for an outpost.
With an outpost on the Moon, scientists will be able to analyze water and other volatile samples dating back to the formation of the Solar System.
For China, the landing of the Chang’e-6 lunar probe is an important milestone that the country will use to expand its space presence on the far side of the moon.
It will use data collected from the space ground to allow Chinese astronauts to set foot on the moon by 2030.