NASA Announces Plan to Build Lunar Base Ahead of China

On the 26th, NASA unveiled its plan to construct a lunar base, revealing details about initiatives involving robotic landers, hopping drones, and lunar rovers. Meanwhile, it also disclosed collaborations with multiple companies, including Blue Origin, the aerospace company led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The goal is to return Americans to the Moon before President Trump leaves office in 2029.

In the field of space development, the United States and China are currently competing to be the first to send humans back to the Moon. As such, NASA faces significant pressure in this race.

China is advancing its own plans, aiming to send humans to the Moon before 2030. On the 25th of this month, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft was launched, with crew members entering China’s Tiangong space station.

In March this year, NASA announced a $20 billion (approximately 3.18 trillion JPY) project to build a permanent base at the lunar south pole powered by nuclear and solar energy by 2032.

On the 26th, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that this announcement signifies that “the United States will never give up the Moon again.”

After the base is established, the U.S. will be able to conduct scientific experiments on the lunar surface, explore the potential for mining valuable resources, and even advance missions toward Mars.

However, most experts agree that NASA’s plan is unrealistic.

In April this year, NASA successfully sent four astronauts into lunar orbit—a mission designed for circumlunar flight. Despite this achievement, some scientists believe China is most likely to become the next nation to land humans on the Moon.

Dr. Simon Barber told BBC: “If China gets ahead, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.” NASA’s lunar program has failed multiple times.

NASA’s “Lunar Base” initiative consists of three phases.

First, robotic landers and hopping drones will be dispatched to explore and map the Moon’s complex terrain prior to human arrival.

Additionally, transportation vehicles capable of orbiting the lunar surface and carrying communication and scientific instruments are planned.

At the announcement on the 26th, it was revealed that companies including Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic have been awarded contracts to manufacture these devices.

NASA requires Blue Origin’s lunar lander, named “Perseverance,” to have precise landing capabilities as well as autonomous navigation and control functions.

Astrobotic’s lander, Griffin 1, is expected to land near the Nobil crater close to the lunar south pole.

These spacecraft are also planned to transport scientific instruments for NASA, including high-resolution cameras and equipment using laser reflection to assist in landing.

According to the project lead for the lunar base, robotic exploration is expected to continue until 2029, during which there will be 25 launches transporting a total of 4 tons of cargo to the lunar surface.

Following this, NASA plans to construct facilities powered by nuclear and solar energy, including a nuclear fission reactor. The aim is to enable humans to reside in a “semi-permanent” habitat on the Moon before 2032.

Moreover, rovers will allow astronauts to travel long distances across the rocky lunar surface.

The lunar south pole—where frozen water has been discovered—is particularly noteworthy, as this water could be used for drinking and producing oxygen.

However, NASA’s plan still relies on developing a spacecraft capable of safely transporting humans to the Moon.

Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, owned by the American billionaire, is responsible for developing a spacecraft called Starship Human Landing System (HLS), but so far, the project has experienced multiple failures and delays.

Lunar scientist Dr. Barber explained: “The real limitation is sending astronauts down to the lunar surface.”

“In my view, (NASA) is forced to stick to their plan. Therefore, I believe there is strong political motivation behind it,” Dr. Guang also said.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866340610097611/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.