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Source: Global Times

USA Today, August 6, original title: The United States and China are competing to study water on the moon: Why it is important for future space missions Space agencies around the world are in an increasingly fierce competition to land on the moon. Astronauts hope to one day establish a base on the moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

The prospect of humans traveling all the way to the Red Planet in the coming years is not inconceivable, but so far only rovers and orbiters have dared to venture that far. Before Mars exploration becomes a reality, space agencies such as NASA need to ensure that the right conditions exist on Earth's only natural satellite to allow humans to establish a "settlement."

What is the key factor that would make a lunar outpost viable? The presence of water. For years, NASA has been preparing a rover to explore the moon's mysterious south pole, where scientists believe there is a rich source of water ice to study. Just this July, the unexpected happened: After spending $450 million and multiple delays, NASA completely canceled the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) lunar rover project. In a press release, NASA promised that it remains committed to exploring the moon as part of its ambitious Artemis lunar program, the agency's first lunar landing project since the Apollo era.

China, a major lunar competitor, is seeking to become a dominant space power in its own right as the United States' moon landing program suffers setbacks. Last month, Chinese scientists announced that they had found water molecules and other minerals in lunar soil samples brought back by Chang'e 5, a breakthrough that could have far-reaching implications for the moon's "habitability."

While it is too early to tell whether the discovery will change future plans for resource extraction or the location of lunar bases, it is the latest breakthrough in lunar exploration for a country that hopes to send its own astronauts to the moon by 2030. Earlier, China launched the Chang'e-6 lunar probe, becoming the first country to retrieve lunar soil samples from the far side of the moon.

Fortunately for the United States, VIPER is not the only NASA-led project aimed at finding water on the moon. For example, NASA has hired three companies to develop preliminary designs for lunar rovers that can drive on the lunar surface and operate autonomously. NASA has also paid private companies billions of dollars to develop private robotic landers to carry scientific payloads to the moon. However, aviation experts have expressed concerns about the scope and cost of this plan. (Author Eric Lagata, translated by Ding Ding)