China's Moon Base Dream Takes Off, as the World Joins the Race

China's Moon Base Dream Takes Off, as the World Joins the RaceThis humorous critic was no ordinary person, he was Coyne, a US astrobiologist who had worked at NASA in his youth. The years he spent working there were during the golden age of American aviation, when it was leading the world

China's Moon Base Dream Takes Off, as the World Joins the Race

A German host asked, "Which country do you think will build the first lunar base?" The writer in a suit on the right diplomatically said that China had a slight advantage... However, before he could finish, the old man on the left interrupted him excitedly. He then went on to criticize the US harshly, saying that while the Americans could land on the moon and build a base, by the time they were celebrating their success, China would already have had a lunar base for 50 years! The first thing Americans would do upon landing on the moon would be to ask the Chinese where they should park their rocket!

This humorous critic was no ordinary person, he was Coyne, a US astrobiologist who had worked at NASA in his youth. The years he spent working there were during the golden age of American aviation, when it was leading the world. Seeing the place he dedicated his life to decline year after year, it's no wonder he reacted with such frustration. Currently, the US not only lags behind China in research progress but also struggles to complete its own research. Its lunar landing program has been repeatedly delayed, and its Starliner spacecraft had a helium leak during launch. Clearly, the American aerospace industry has been rattled by China's advancements, while China steadily executes its own space program.

Change-6 is about to return. This mission has left a dazzling mark on the history of human aviation, opening a new chapter in humanity's exploration of the universe. Over the past few years, humans have collected samples from the lunar surface ten times, but due to the moon's consistent orientation with one side facing Earth, the far side has remained shrouded in mystery. Scientists were unsure whether there were differences in composition and structure between the two sides of the moon. Change-6 will provide crucial clues to unravel this mystery. Therefore, the lunar soil brought back from the far side by Change-6 will be significant in studying water resources, energy, and the history of the moon. It's virtually priceless.

This moment of opportunity has brought smiles to the faces of countries that have strong relationships with China. Italy, for example, has taken center stage by having its laser corner reflector carried on Change-6. Although the EU appears united, its member states have been secretly competing with each other, striving to be the best in Europe if they can't beat China, the US, or Russia. Italy invested heavily in building the most advanced reflector. By placing it on the moon with Change-6, they instantly gained access to the world's most advanced data. From now on, the data for measuring the distance between the moon and Earth will not come from the US but from Italy.

The progress achieved by Italy, France, Pakistan, and China through their collaboration is the envy of the world. When we opened up cooperation on Change-7, countries from all over the world flocked to participate. Looking back at the Change-3 and 4 era, the international community was still questioning China's aerospace capabilities, and hardly any countries were willing to join in the collaboration. Things have changed drastically. China is now busy reviewing applications, selecting six countries for collaboration. This scenario is truly touching. Which countries will be favored by China?

Italy: Recognizing the Times

After comprehensive evaluation, China selected six partner countries in April: Egypt, Bahrain, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and Thailand. China's selection can be considered even-handedEgypt is an African country, Bahrain is an Arab country, Russia is our old friend, Thailand represents our support for Southeast Asian countries, and Switzerland and Italy are arguably the biggest winners. Italy and Switzerland had successful collaborations with China during the Change-6 mission. Change-6 carried the European Space Agency's negative ion detector, which was actually led by Switzerland. China chose these two countries because they are willing to invest, highly cooperative, and contribute significantly to research.

For countries like Pakistan, Egypt, and Bahrain, China's focus is more on support than collaboration, fulfilling our responsibilities as a major power. These countries essentially take a trip to space, a symbolic gesture to show their citizens that they've been there and inspire national pride. Italy, however, has identified a new path. For a small European country like Italy, building rocket bases and launching moon missions is simply not feasible. So, they've chosen to focus on developing space instruments. Italy and Switzerland have the financial resources and capability to manufacture high-end instruments. They enter space, collect measurement data, and share it with China, achieving a win-win situation. China, naturally, welcomes such partners.

Therefore, Egypt and Bahrain also made considerable efforts, jointly developing a hyperspectral imager for lunar surface materials, contributing their own share. This has become a "win-win" situation: China gains more technical support, while the partners can leverage this opportunity to enhance their own aerospace capabilities. Joining the circle of cooperation with China, the leader in this field, is undoubtedly the best choice.

Change-6 is about to embark on its journey home, carrying precious samples. After a safe landing in a few weeks, it will have fulfilled its mission. With the success of Change-6, Change-7 is ready to go, and we have a series of subsequent lunar missions in the pipeline.

Change-7 in 2026

Change-7 will be launched around 2026, with the aim of exploring the moon's south pole and searching for water resources. This is why Bahrain and Egypt were chosentheir lunar surface material imager will be put to good use.

Change-8 in 2028

Change-8 will be launched around 2028 to lay the foundation for a lunar research station on the surface of another celestial body. Energy collection experiments will also be conducted on the moon.

2030: Crewed Lunar Landing

We will consider sending astronauts to the moon around 2030. Any projects that can be completed by machines will be carried out by machines. We won't blindly pursue crewed lunar missions, as long as a prototype of a lunar base is built by 2035. Our lack of urgency in sending astronauts to the moon stems from our confidence and the fact that our space research is for our own benefit, not for competition. The US can continue to tout its crewed lunar landing as a great achievement, claiming to be ahead. China is not in a hurry. Completing research tasks is our primary objective. In space, the advantage of human astronauts over machines is not necessarily significant.

The US, however, is not idle. They are busy taking pictures of Change-6. Even though they can't go there themselves, they can observe it from space using satellites.

Source:

• Observer.com, June 5, 2024, Chang'e-6 Successfully Lands on the Moon, NASA Experts Scoff: By the Time America Builds a Lunar Base, China Will Have Had One for 50 Years

• Beijing News, April 24, 2024, Latest News Announced, Change-7 Mission Will Carry Six International Payloads

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