Chinese success and American anxiety: “We are participating in a new space race”

The rest of the world can only dream of such a maneuver – the Chang’e 6 probe landed without any problems inside the Apollo Crater at the moon’s south pole, on the far side of this celestial body. Aside from Beijing, no one else has done this before.

– It may seem funny, but the main goal of this lunar mission is to return to Earth. But returning to Earth with samples of lunar matter – says Dr. Krzysztof Kanawka, President of Blue Dot Solutions.

In total, the probe will collect about two kilograms of samples, from and below the surface of the silver sphere.

– For the first time in human history, samples will be taken from the invisible part of the Moon. If we succeed, it will be a major technological breakthrough, says Yi Bijian, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The moon rocks in the capsule will be compared on Earth to those on the visible side. This will allow scientists to better understand our natural satellite.

– China has chosen an interesting region. It is likely to contain material from the interior of the Moon, specifically from the lunar mantle, which may be cold from a scientific point of view – says Przemysław Kanawka.

For China, the mission has not only a scientific dimension, but also a propaganda dimension. They were the first to discover this part of the moon using instruments from Europe. In addition, they sent a mysterious vehicle there.

-This rover is really very small. It is likely about ten centimeters or so in size and contains no more than one scientific instrument, which is likely an infrared detector. Therefore, it is more than just a form of proof that China is capable of building and using small rovers on the moon – says Przemyslaw Kanaoka.

Read also: A Chinese space probe has landed on the dark side of the moon

The Middle Kingdom has been developing its lunar program for more than a decade. In 2013, they became the third country to land there, six years later they were the first to send a rover to the far side, and in 2020, they collected samples from the visible side and returned them to Earth. The plans are considered more ambitious, which raises concerns, among other things, in the United States.

We believe that many of their so-called scientific space programs are actually military endeavors. In my opinion, we are participating in a new space race – comments Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator.

Chang’e’s program is scheduled to culminate in a manned mission and then the construction of a research station.

On the other hand, it is expected that the American return to the moon will take place within two years, or perhaps later. – If the Chinese get there first, they might say: This is our territory, stay away – warns Bill Nelson.

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China doesn’t stop at the Silver Globe. Their space station already orbits Earth, and their plans include collecting samples from Mars, sending a probe to Jupiter, and building a nuclear-powered shuttle. The Middle Kingdom declares that it will become the leading space power in 2045.

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