U.S. Experts: What If Chinese Astronauts Land on the Moon First?

U.S. Netizens: Oh my God, I thought we had already landed on the moon, obviously we haven't.

On September 9th in the U.S., the U.S. "Space News" published an article by expert Andrew Jones.

China hopes to establish a lunar base after landing on the moon.

Both the United States and China are striving to send astronauts to the moon in the coming years.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that the U.S. will win the "race."

But what would happen if China wins?

NASA plans to launch its Artemis II mission early next year, which will take astronauts around the moon and return them,

followed by the manned lunar landing of Artemis III in 2027.

At the same time, China has committed to its first manned moon landing before 2030,

and recently announced progress on the required hardware, including the Long March 10 rocket and the Yutu lunar lander.

From these schedules, it seems that the United States is leading.

However, experts at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week said that the United States faces a real danger of losing the lunar race.

One of the reasons they mentioned was the development speed of SpaceX's Starship,

which will serve as the Artemis III lunar lander and needs multiple refuelings to get the Starship to the moon.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated at the hearing:

"Unless something changes, the United States is unlikely to catch up with China's expected schedule."

If China lands first, there could be serious consequences for the United States.

Gold, a key developer of the Artemis Accords, said:

"Today, we see meetings between China, India, and Russia,

if China lands on the moon first, this will deepen and strengthen these economic ties."

He continued: "If they get there first, we will see global re-adjustment,

which will affect our economy, tax base, innovation capability, and our national security,

including diplomacy and geopolitics, which will affect our daily safety and many other aspects."

This warning is quite severe for the United States and its leadership in space and on Earth.

In addition to demonstrating capabilities, countries that establish a sustained lunar presence may have more lasting impacts.

In his testimony at the hearing, Gold also said:

"If the United States is not the first country to return to the moon, we face the risk of losing the best ice reserves,

which could be acquired by China."

However, signs show that China is primarily focused on manned moon landing in mid-latitudes,

rather than aiming at the water ice resources in the relatively rich lunar south pole.

Meanwhile, China's robotic Chang'e 7 and Chang'e 8 missions, scheduled to launch in 2026 and 2028-2029 respectively,

will target key locations near the south pole for landing and explore volatile substances such as water ice, as well as test the ability to print bricks,

which will make the construction of lunar habitats possible.

Alan Kurt, president of the Deep Space Exploration Alliance, noted in his testimony:

"The first country to land on the moon will determine the rules of space for the next few decades."

"This leadership must come from the United States."

The progress of China and the U.S. lunar landing programs will be one of the most closely watched and impactful space events in the future.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842825267072137/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.