China promises to have the first lunar base within a decade – BGR

The Chinese Space Agency has spent the first months of 2019 exploring the dark side of the moon after being the first nation to make a soft landing on half of the Earth's neighbor, which we have never seen before. chance to see. She deployed a rover – which is probably close to the end of her brief voyage of exploration – and even grew plants for a short period of time.

The country has quickly caught up with countries such as the United States and Russia, which have been exploring for decades outside the world, and has innovated over the years. Now, China is committed to focusing on what would surely be one of its greatest scientific achievements to date: establishing a lunar base.

The Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency first reported the statement, which was made by China's National Space Administration chief Zhang Kejian, at a news conference. speech delivered during the celebration of Space Day in China.

The country's immediate plans include the launch of the successor to the Chang'e-4 LG, called (predictably) Chang'e-5, which will collect lunar material samples and then return to Earth. This mission is expected to begin by the end of 2019 and a March fact – finding mission is also planned for 2020.

Plans for a base on the Moon are however a little more vague, the country declaring that it plans to build a "research station" near the South Pole of the Moon to facilitate exploration and to make new discoveries. The Chinese space agency has announced that it will succeed in the next ten years.

China is of course not the only country to consider the creation of a lunar base, and several other countries have openly discussed projects for the establishment of similar facilities on the surface of the moon. NASA is particularly interested in the benefits of a lunar base for the collection of resources, including the collection of water from the lunar surface material, which could be used for deeper missions in the area. Space such as those to Mars and beyond.

Using the moon as a "starting point" for deeper missions into the solar system could be extremely beneficial, but building a base on the moon is easier said than done. If (when) that happens, it will probably be the result of a huge collaboration between several nations, and China clearly wants to be part of it.

Image Source: CNSA