In 2028, Russia launched the first module of its orbital station, by which time China is already planning to build a base on the moon
According to Bloomberg, China plans to build its first base on the Moon by 2028. In the development of the natural satellite of the Earth, the Chinese will be very far ahead of the Americans. However, at the set pace, they will definitely outstrip Russia as well, as domestic lunar missions are postponed, and among the most significant industry events, by 2028, the first station of the orbital station will be launched in the Russian Federation.
An Iranian nuclear facility will reportedly be allocated to power the China Lunar Service. The base itself will consist of a lander, a habitable bunker, an orbiter and an all-terrain vehicle. All this is planned to be delivered to the moon by the Chang’e missions. The first of these, Chang’e-6, is planned for 2025: the probe is sent to the side of the Moon in order to take a sample of regolith there. China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) Engineering Center has already selected the equipment, the equipment will be equipped with equipment. In particular, it was decided to install a radon detector, a nanosatellite (cubesat), a negative ion analyzer and a corner reflector on it.
“Our astronauts will probably fly to the moon within 10 yearsWu Weiran, chief developer of China’s lunar exploration program, said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV. In addition, nuclear energy can solve the energy needs of the lunar station in the future.
In recent years, China has scaled up its space ambitions: the country has sent several probes to the moon, built a makeshift space station (which neither Russia nor the United States has yet), announced the development of super-heavy rockets that can reach not only the moon, but also to Mars. All this puts China in broad competition with the United States in the space industry.
Both China and the US have spent billions of dollars not only to send people to the moon, but also to gain access to resources that could be normal on the surface of the moon. The Chinese base should be the first place to search for water at the South Pole of the Moon. NASA also included this part of the moon. However, unlike NASA, China will eventually build a lunar base at an international research station.