China · U.S. · South Korea · Ars Technica
After all, NASA won the space race to the Moon nearly six decades ago, when Apollo 11 landed there
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But others have a starkly different opinion.
Key facts
- As soon as this Sunday, a Long March 5 rocket will launch from a coastal seaport in China, carrying the Chang’e 7 lunar exploration mission
- Humans have been flying missions to the Moon since 1959, when the Soviet Union’s Luna 1 spacecraft passed within several thousand kilometers of the lunar surface
- After all, NASA won the space race to the Moon nearly six decades ago, when Apollo 11 landed there
- Early this year, it gave new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman the latitude to make sweeping changes to the space agency’s lunar programs, including ending the development of the Lunar Gateway space
Summary
There are generally two schools of thought in the Western space community when it comes to the prospect of China landing humans on the Moon in the next few years and possibly beating NASA and the United States in its efforts to return astronauts there. Many people will ask what the big deal is. An important test of whether you believe the former or latter could come as soon as this month. As soon as this Sunday, a Long March 5 rocket will launch from a coastal seaport in China, carrying the Chang’e 7 lunar exploration mission.