Science

China news: Space agency announces it wants to build a Moon base within a DECADE


The International Space Station (ISS) is set to be retired in 2024, meaning nations are now in a race to establish a new base away from Earth. China has now announced grand plans to become the first country to establish a permanent base on another celestial body. Chinese news agency Xinhua reported the country plans to establish a base on the south pole of the Moon “within the next 10 years”, China National Space Administration head Zhang Kejian said.

The base would be used as a checkpoint between Earth and Mars while also allowing astronauts to study the moon in close detail.

The state-run Beijing News reported: “Building a lunar base will accumulate experience for an eventual landing on the moon and serve as a stopover as we fly to Mars.”

Zhang also added that Beijing has ambitions to launch a probe to Mars by next year – making it only the third country to land robots on Mars after the US and the former Soviet Union.

China has truly propelled itself into the space race within the last few years, and has arguably become the most important player in the game.

Just this year, it became the first country to land a rover on the dark side of the Moon and just the third country in total to land a probe there – again, following in the footsteps of the US and the Soviet Union.

However, China is not the only one hoping to build a Moon-base.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine had already stated the Americans hope to build a home on the lunar satellite.

Mr Bridentstine wrote for the magazine OZY: “As a lifelong NASA supporter, I am thrilled to be talking once again about landing humans on the moon.

“But to some, saying we’re returning to the moon implies we’ll be doing the same as we did 50 years ago. I want to be clear — that is not our vision.

“We are going to the moon with innovative new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the surface than we ever thought possible.

“This time, when we go to the moon, we will stay.”





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