The Cold War returns to space. What is China looking for on the Moon?

Since then, his rise has been astronomical. Literally. In 2011, it launched the first module of its three-year-old Tiangong space station into orbit, and two years later the country took a giant leap with the launch of the Chang’e-3 probe, which managed to deploy a robot in orbit. lunar surface Yutu, 140 kg. But it wasn’t until 2019 that it did something that had never been achieved before: landing on the far side of the moon. This was confirmation that China had replaced the Soviet Union in the conquest of space and that it was stepping on the gas pedal to take the lead.

It’s not for nothing that in 2020 he managed to collect two kilograms of lunar samples, something that he now intends to repeat on the far side of the Moon. If Chang’e 6 completes the mission it began last week, China will mark a new milestone and be well on its way to achieving its dream of taking an astronaut to the Moon, specifically the South Pole, in 2030. Perhaps before the Western powers, who also have a return to the Moon on their roadmap, do so, the Artemis program should do so in 2025.

A matter of prestige

But why does China place so much importance on its lunar program? Claudio Feijo, professor at the Faculty of Technological Diplomacy and Digital Sovereignty at the Jean Monnet Polytechnic University of Madrid, points to several reasons. “We are again reproducing elements of the Cold War, which was a race to get something first. In the case of the space race, there is an element of national pride and reputation that goes hand in hand with the development of technological capabilities,” he told the newspaper.

Feiju points out that China is trying to create a constellation of satellites around the Moon to solve the problem of communicating with its hidden side. “He was already the first to place it at the Lagrange point, which is very difficult, and the satellites will also help it position itself on the surface of the Moon. This demonstrates technological skills that can be beneficial as a supplier to other countries,” he explains.

Mining and military base

The United States fears that China wants to plant a flag and claim sovereignty over the territory, which may be much more relevant than it appears at first glance. Firstly, because it could be a vital stop in solar system exploration. And both powers are aiming to reach Mars in the next decade. Secondly, because the Moon could become a greedy mine, rich in materials such as helium-3, titanium or rare earth elements, extremely valuable for global technological development and currently found almost exclusively in the hands of China. “The long-term goal should be the development of mineral resources,” said scientist Ouyang Ziyuan back in 2002. “The moon could also be an interesting source of energy,” he added.

Joseph Silk, a researcher at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, believes mining could begin in just ten years. Feijoo is more cautious and believes that such a possibility would be attractive “if the tension between the blocks was enormous and the mineral found on the Moon would be critical.” Of course, both agree that all this space technology is ambivalent; That is, they can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

For this reason, Silk recognizes the danger that the Moon will eventually become strategic for the latter: “The 104 signatories to the Outer Space Treaty within the United Nations have agreed to demilitarize the Moon and limit pollution. So we have a guide to military activities and materials extraction. It’s another matter for it to be implemented.

NASA Director Bill Nelson is more assertive. “We have to be afraid of China going to the moon and saying, ‘It’s ours now, get out,'” he warned last week. “We are convinced that its civilian program is in fact military in nature,” he added. There are concerns that Beijing could deploy systems on the Moon to shoot down satellites, either with missiles or ships designed for this purpose. This seems like science fiction, but perhaps such a scenario is just around the corner. “If you control lunar resources, you have a big advantage in future space exploration,” adds Professor Kazuo Suzuki from the University of Tokyo, speaking to The Guardian.

Knowledge of Russia, Chinese money

Beijing, for its part, argues that these suspicions are unfounded and wants to calm the situation by promising to share the material it can obtain from the hidden side of the satellite so that scientists from different countries can study it in parallel. And he already did it the first time. Both its leaders and the official press always emphasize the value of cooperation rather than confrontation, and emphasize that the International Lunar Research Station, which they want to create around 2035, will not be built by the Chinese alone. For now, although it is “open to all interested countries,” only Russia is actively participating, although Venezuela, South Africa and Azerbaijan have already expressed their interest.

An interesting symbiosis occurs in the axis. “Although the Russians are outside the current race, they have a good scientific level and technology that is different from the American one. China relies on this knowledge and provides the economic power necessary to launch projects,” explains Feijoo, backing up his words with an unusual fact: the Russian National Research University MPEI has received a license to establish a campus on Hainan Island. next to the fourth space rocket launch base. “This is very rare because foreign universities usually use the license of the Chinese counterpart with whom they collaborate,” he adds. According to Chinese newspaper The Paper, the institute will focus on “research and teaching in the field of aviation and aerospace sciences.” If all goes according to plan, China will open its classrooms in the 2025-2026 school year, ten years before China launches its lunar station.