The Race to the Moon is Back
Moon landings so far:
On 19th January 2024 Japan successfully landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon, thereby becoming only the fifth country to soft land a craft on the moon’s surface after the former Soviet Union, the US, China and India. The pinpoint landing of Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was historic because of its incredible accuracy and it also meant a huge boost for Japan’s space program after a series of failures. In April 2023 a spacecraft designed by a Japanese company had crashed during a moon landing attempt and in March 2023 a new flagship rocket had failed during its debut launch.
The most recent moon landing before Japan’s was successfully completed by India on 23rd August 2023. India in fact became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s unexplored south pole, where scientists believe that perpetually darkened craters may hold frozen water that could help future missions. It was India’s second attempt to land in the area and came not long after a similar mission from Russia failed. India’s success helped secure its place as a major player in space exploration.
China made its first moon landing on 14th December 2013 and in 2023 launched a three-person crew for its orbiting space station. The country hopes to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. China’s space ambitions are linked to its rivalry with the US as the world’s two largest economies compete for diplomatic, political and military influence.
On 19th August 2023 Russia’s Luna-25 moon lander failed in its attempt to land in the same area of the moon that India reached a few days later. The crash came 57 years after the former Soviet Union had performed the first successful soft landing ever on the moon on 3rd February 1966. Russian scientists blamed the long break of inactivity and the accompanying loss of space expertise for the defeat. In fact, Russia’s space program has struggled since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and corruption and Western sanctions have hurt scientific development. However, Russia is planning to undertake another moon mission in the next few years.
The US remains the only country to have astronauts successfully land on the moon, first accomplishing this feat on 20th July 1969. NASA aims to send astronauts to fly around the moon in 2025, and to land there in 2026, which would mark the first human moon landing in over 50 years. For now, the US’ ability to spend large amounts of money gives it an advantage over China and other moon rivals. Private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have prioritized crewed space missions.
All in all, moon landings are likely to become more and more common over the next few years with globally more than 100 lunar missions expected to take place by 2030.
So why are all these countries eager to get back to the moon?
In the days of the Cold War during the mid-20th Century, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States was primarily about prestige and about who could ‘conquer’ space exploration first as these two superpowers competed for supremacy in a global struggle across a variety of areas. For generations, the moon was primarily a source of wonder, a near-constant feature of the sky that was largely unknowable.
Now, however, the moon is not only within reach, but governments are keen to establish a presence there in order to exploit its rich mineral resources such as titanium, iron ore, platinum and aluminum. The moon also has considerable amounts of helium-3, which is rare on Earth and which can theoretically be used to power nuclear fusion reactors. Apparently, the moon’s reserves of helium-3 are so rich that they could solve human beings’ energy demand on the entire Earth for centuries.
In addition, there is also another vital natural resource on the moon that countries are after: water. Apart from being crucial for human survival, water can also be used to make rocket fuel, which means the moon could one day become a refueling station for rockets and a springboard for deeper space exploration.
The countries that first establish a presence on the moon will lead in the creation of governance mechanisms that guide the exploitation of those resources. That race is heating up with more and more countries launching moon missions in an attempt to join in the competition.
Sources:
Obe, Mitsuru. “Space Race to Heat up in 2024 as Japan, China, India Reach for the Stars.” Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Asia, 3 Jan. 2024, asia.nikkei.com/Business/Aerospace-Defense-Industries/Space-race-to-heat-up-in-2024-as-Japan-China-India-reach-for-the-stars.
mpetrova92. “Why There Is a New Global Race to the Moon.” CNBC, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2024, www.cnbc.com/2024/01/20/why-there-is-a-new-global-race-to-the-moon-.html.
Japan Is Now in the Space Race. Here’s Where Other Countries Stand, www.fastcompany.com/91013822/modern-space-race-japan-heres-where-other-countries-stand. Accessed 3 Feb. 2024.
mpetrova92. “Why There Is a New Global Race to the Moon.” CNBC, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2024, www.cnbc.com/2024/01/20/why-there-is-a-new-global-race-to-the-moon-.html.
ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japans-moon-lander-aiming-small-target-106506670. Accessed 3 Feb. 2024.
Japan Is Fifth Country to Achieve Successful Moon Landing | Best ..., www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2024-01-19/japan-is-fifth-country-to-achieve-successful-moon-landing. Accessed 3 Feb. 2024.
Asia Space Race Heats up as China, Japan and India Reach for the Stars, www.ft.com/content/b6548f8f-882a-4e69-9016-b044bfb46139. Accessed 3 Feb. 2024.
