New Space Race Unfolds as Countries Compete for Lunar South Pole Exploration

From Cold War to Lunar War: Global Powers Vie for Dominance

In a race reminiscent of the Cold War era, countries are fiercely competing to be the first to venture into the lunar South Pole. This time, the competition includes not only the United States and Russia but also China and India.

On August 16th, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced that their unmanned lunar probe, "Luna 25," successfully entered lunar orbit. The probe is set to land on the northern part of Boguslavsky Crater on the Moon's South Pole on the 21st, where it will conduct missions like studying the Moon's internal structure and exploring resources, including water.

Russia's lunar exploration marks the first attempt in 47 years since the Soviet era.

India's space agency, ISRO, launched its unmanned lunar probe, "Chandrayaan-3," on July 14th. Just two days after Luna 25's planned landing, on August 23rd, Chandrayaan-3 will attempt to land on the lunar surface.

If successful, both Russian and Indian probes would mark the first instances of landing on the lunar South Pole.

The United States has set the ambitious goal of sending astronauts to this region. NASA's Artemis program aims to land two astronauts on the Moon's South Pole by 2025. They will conduct exploration activities for a week before returning to Earth. Additionally, next year, a crewed Orion capsule will attempt a lunar flyby, carrying four astronauts.

China, on the other hand, plans to launch the Chang'e 6 and 7 missions in 2024 for structural tests to support the construction of a lunar South Pole base. By 2027, they plan to launch Chang'e 8 for further exploration.

The lunar South Pole offers great potential for water in the form of ice due to its consistent shadowed regions. Discovering significant water resources could provide astronauts with drinking water, oxygen, and even hydrogen for rocket fuel, making lunar missions more sustainable.

Such discoveries could lead to the establishment of a permanent lunar base, enabling sustained exploration. Experts believe that this base could play a crucial role in future manned missions to Mars and other planets beyond our solar system.

Bill Nelson, the head of NASA, mentioned in an NBC interview on August 17th that "finding abundant water there could be utilized for future crews and spacecraft." However, he also noted the challenges due to the mostly shadowed nature of the lunar South Pole, which limits the usable landing areas.

Nelson expressed hope for the success of the Russian landing while also expressing cautiousness about China's lunar ambitions. He emphasized the importance of maintaining international understanding and protection of common interests in the ongoing space competition between the United States and China.

In this new era of lunar exploration, the competition is heating up, and as countries vie for dominance on the Moon's South Pole, the implications for future space endeavors remain significant.