When it comes to the space program, China is almost obsessed with the moon. In small steps, he achieved more and more important things, and the ultimate goal after a new series of missions is to develop an inhabited base on the moon, as well as mining valuable minerals on the moon. For China, this is clearly a matter of prestige, and unlike Russia, money for the development of the space program will not be a problem.

China has very bold plans for the moon, and has already achieved several successes, transferring a module to the far side of the moon in 2019 and successfully delivering lunar soil samples to Earth in 2020.

It’s impossible to say what will happen in 15 years, but talks have been underway, and China and Russia could build a base on the moon after 2035, with increasingly complex missions being launched by then. There is still a long way to go, and Russia’s role in the project will depend on how world geopolitics will change. But China’s ambitions will not abate.

China also recently announced the discovery of a new type of selenium mineral, which it named Changesite–(Y) after the moon goddess Chang’e in Chinese mythology. Chang’e is also called the Chinese lunar missions.

It is clear that billions of dollars will be needed for a long series of missions, and for China it is a matter of prestige and a way to show that the country is a superpower in space as well. China clearly positions itself as one of the USSR (and then Russia) and the USA among the space powers.

A moment of great pride for the Chinese was when they managed to put a rover on the surface of Mars, and it became operational and sent back data and photos. Only the USA managed to put rovers on Mars. Another step that shows how far China has come is the one related to the construction of an orbital space station, a station that will be ready very soon.

The Chinese have been waiting for a very long time and think that eventually they will mine metals and minerals on the moon. The Chinese clearly know that the moon is rich in resources such as rare earth elements, and these resources can be exploited when technology allows them to be used. The Chinese want to get there, but will have to overcome several difficult steps.

The Chinese also want to test a number of technologies on the moon and say the moon is also important from a scientific point of view. Finding one this close to Earth is much easier to study than asteroids or planets, and missions to the Moon are still much cheaper than missions to Mars or Mercury.

On the Moon, it is also possible to test state-of-the-art space mining technologies, which will allow drilling asteroids no earlier than in 15-20 years, knowing that asteroids are rich in very expensive minerals.

A few days ago, the Chinese authorities gave the green light to three missions to the moon, missions without a human crew, which will perform the role of testing and technological preparation of the missions that will send taikonauts.

– Chang’e 6 will attempt to deliver soil and rock samples from the far side of the Moon to Earth

– Chang’e 7 it will be a complex mission to the region of the south pole of the Moon, and several vehicles will be sent: an orbital probe, a lander, a rover, a communication satellite and a detector that will be able to study the ice in lunar craters.

– Chang’e 8 should be launched by 2030 and test technologies such as 3D printing and others on the moon to use local resources.

In 2023, China will also launch its first space telescope, called Xuntian, which will be near the space station and able to dock with it for charging and possible repairs.

In early September, China successfully tested a hydrogen and liquid oxygen engine that will be part of the future Chang Zheng 9 rocket designed for manned missions to the Moon and Mars.

Sources: space.com, BBC, Reuters, phys.org, Xinhua

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