The Chinese space agency has officially declared that the US is a competitor on the moon for the first time.
The shocking decision by the Chinese National Space Administration comes after they have vehemently stated that they will never compete with the US.
The CNSA said: “It is foreseeable that in the next one In 20 to 30 years, China’s International Lunar Research Station and the US Artemis program will compete with each other.”
Their new moon plan was: “[We] will compete on technology and operational efficiency on the same historical stage and in the same geographic location (the lunar South Pole).”
It continued: “In the historical context of that period, race to demonstrate superior political strength made lunar exploration untenable,
The plan, titled “Strategic Concept for the Route for the Development of the Resource Utilization of the International Lunar Research Station,” was unveiled in April.
It was written under the leadership of mission scientist Pei Zhaoyu.
Prof. Pei told The South China Morning Post: “Utilizing the moon’s resources will become the focus of the competition.”
He added: “And countries like the United States have no clear advantage in this.”
The decision marks China’s transition from a secretive to a more open space policy, but Washington has always viewed the CNSA as a rival.
NASA CEO Bill Nelson admitted to Politico last year: “The fact is, we’re in a space race.
“And it is true that we have to be very careful that they do not go to the moon under the guise of scientific research.
“It is not impossible that they say: ‘Stay away, we are here, this is our territory.'”
China successfully launched the Chang’e-6 spacecraft on May 3 as part of the mission to retrieve new samples from the moon.
And the monumental moment when the Chinese space probe landed on Earth with the very first sample from the dark side of the moon was captured on camera.
China’s Chang’e-6 probe has landed safely, leaving behind untouched rocks and soil, a mission no other country has successfully accomplished.
Extraordinary footage shows the tiny, unassuming bag descending on a parachute to grassy Earth, carrying the first sample from the ‘dark side’ of the moon.
The probe landed in northern China, in the Inner Mongolia region.
Earlier this month, the Chang’e-6 robot landed on the dark -183C side of the moon and successfully retrieved rock and soil samples, a world first.
The satellite hit the far side of the moon after descending from its orbit about 200 kilometers (125 miles) above the lunar surface to find a landing site.
During the ‘space race of the 1960s’, the US and Russia competed to see who could achieve the most in space.
Both countries, then the USSR, were also involved in the Cold War.
The US thought they could assert their dominance if they were the first to send a man to the moon.
Americans and Russians competed to prove their technological expertise.
Why is the Chang’e 6 robotic mission so important?
The far side of the Moon, also known as the “dark side,” has become the focus of numerous space exploration programs.
India, Russia, China and the US are all involved in space developments to study the farthest point of the moon.
It is not only seen as an interesting place for future space travel, but also as a suitable location for lunar outposts.
Scientists believe this is the most promising location for water ice, which is crucial for future human habitation on the moon.
It is also one of the most resource-rich areas on the moon. The areas of the moon that are permanently in shadow could contain ice and other minerals, which would be vital to future explorers.
Scientists suspect that the so-called ‘cold traps’ at the South Pole contain an abundance of Helium-3, which can produce enormous amounts of energy on Earth.
The mountain peaks near the pole, which are illuminated for extended periods of time, could be used to power a solar outpost.
An outpost on the moon would allow scientists to analyze water and other volatile samples dating back to the formation of the solar system.
For China, the landing of the Chang’e-6 lunar probe is an important milestone that the country hopes to use to expand its space presence on the far side of the moon.
It will use the data collected by the space lander to enable Chinese astronauts to set foot on the moon by 2030