SpaceX will play a pivotal role in America's lunar mission, vying for resources at the Moon's south pole.

SpaceX will play a pivotal role in the U.S.-China lunar landing race.

The United States aims to land astronauts on the Moon before China by the end of this decade, particularly seeking to occupy the Moon's south pole, where vast reserves of water ice are believed to exist.

The problem is that since the conclusion of the Apollo program in 1972, NASA has not sent humans back to the Moon. Although the "Artemis II" mission successfully flew around the Moon in April this year, the U.S. still lacks a spacecraft capable of actually landing on the lunar surface.

That task, NASA plans to entrust to SpaceX’s Starship—the largest rocket system ever built. However, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is also vying for the contract, having developed a simpler lunar lander reminiscent of those from the Apollo era.

If SpaceX can deliver the lunar lander on schedule and help NASA achieve its moon landing goal, the benefits would be enormous—NASA plans to invest at least $20 billion in building a lunar base, and SpaceX is likely to secure this major contract, winning increasingly more significant projects.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867844657792000/

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