【By Chen Sijia, Observer Net】After China and the United States both proposed their schedules for manned lunar landing plans, Europe also hopes to become an independent participant in the "lunar race", seeking to send Europeans to the Moon. On December 28, European News Channel published an article emphasizing that the EU must enhance its technological independence in the space field, develop independent space capabilities, and even imagined the possibility of a German astronaut being the first to land on the Moon.

However, the idea put forward by European News Channel is essentially still "a U.S. lunar landing plan with a European imprint," allowing Europeans to participate in American missions. ESA Director Ashbacher stated that the agency may play a "key role" in NASA's lunar landing plan, with U.S. spacecraft possibly carrying EU astronauts to the Moon.

The article states that space has become a stage for "strategic competition," and manned lunar landing not only represents scientific and technological progress but is also seen as an embodiment of technological leadership and geopolitical power. Establishing a permanent lunar base will affect future space standards, resource utilization issues, and international cooperation. As a partner of the United States, ESA is deeply involved in the U.S. "Artemis" plan to return to the Moon.

Europe has provided assistance for the "Artemis" plan in the technical field; Germany has developed the service module of the "Orion" spacecraft for NASA. European News Channel revealed that Europe now has the opportunity to play a more central role in the "Artemis" plan, directly sending EU astronauts to land on the Moon by riding American spacecraft.

Orion spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, IC photo

ESA Director Ashbacher said he believes the first Europeans to participate in the lunar mission should come from Germany, France, and Italy. Among them, four Germans have the greatest chance of getting the opportunity to land on the Moon: geophysicist Alexander Gerst, materials researcher Matthias Maurer, biochemist Amélie Schoenewald, and Nicolaus Witt.

According to ESA standards, only astronauts with space experience will be selected for the lunar mission. Therefore, Gerst and Maurer have a greater chance of participating in the lunar mission, both have already been to the International Space Station and are members of ESA's current astronaut team. Schoenewald and Witt have not yet entered space, but it cannot be ruled out that they might participate in space missions in the coming years.

However, Gerst also pointed out that it is not yet certain whether German astronauts will have the opportunity to land on the Moon. He believes that this requires ESA to provide greater support for key components of the U.S. "Artemis" plan.

German astronaut Alexander Gerst of ESA, IC photo

But the idea put forward by European News Channel is ultimately still "a U.S. lunar landing plan with a European imprint," allowing European astronauts to participate in the U.S. manned lunar landing plan rather than a European independent lunar landing plan. The article admits that although ESA closely cooperates with NASA, Europe still highly depends on the United States in the space field and needs to continue pursuing technological independence.

European countries are increasing their investments in the space field. ESA member states have provided nearly 22.1 billion euros in funding for the agency's operations from 2026 to 2028, aiming to enable Europe to have the ability to independently access space. As the largest economy in the EU, Germany hopes to play a core role within this framework.

Germany provides 5.1 billion euros in funding to ESA, making it the largest donor to the agency. German Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space Dorothée Bär said that although Germany's budget is tight, it is necessary to increase investment in space, which is not only an investment in the future, but also a contribution to "European sovereignty and security."

Both the United States and China have proposed their own manned lunar landing plans. The United States calls it the "lunar race," trying to complete manned lunar landing before China does.

In 2017, the United States proposed the "Artemis" plan to return to the Moon, and in 2022 completed the first unmanned lunar orbit test. It is expected to conduct the "Artemis 2" manned lunar orbit mission in the first half of next year. However, due to difficulties in developing manned spacecraft and other equipment, the U.S. "Artemis 3" manned lunar landing mission has been repeatedly postponed, now delayed to mid-2027.

China's lunar exploration plan has made steady and smooth progress. The development of manned lunar landing is steadily advancing, having already conducted multiple lunar orbiting detection and sampling missions, laying the foundation for the first Chinese landing on the Moon by 2030.

On April 23 this year, Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for China's Manned Space Program and deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, stated that all the research and development work for China's manned lunar mission is progressing smoothly. The Long March 10 carrier rocket, Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, Lanyue lunar landing module, Wangyu lunar spacesuit, and exploration crewed lunar rover are currently conducting preliminary sample testing work according to plan. The lunar remote sensing satellite has completed project initiation and competitive selection, and the construction of ground systems such as launch sites, tracking and communication, and landing sites are proceeding in accordance with the planned schedule.

Later, in August and September, the Long March 10 series carrier rocket carried out two tethered firing tests at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, achieving important阶段性 breakthroughs.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7589203114663494184/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.