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https://theconversation.com/russia-has-declared-a-new-space-race-hoping-to-join-forces-with-china-heres-why-thats-unlikely-211993>
"This week, the Russian space agency Roscosmos had hoped to return to the Moon
after an absence of nearly 50 years. Instead, on Saturday it lost control of
its Luna-25 lander. The agency explained the spacecraft “switched to an
off-design orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the lunar
surface”.
Yet, in an interview aired on state television, the agency’s chief, Yuri
Borisov, pledged his nation’s unwavering commitment to lunar exploration:
This is not just about the prestige of the country and the achievement of
some geopolitical goals. This is about ensuring defensive capabilities and
achieving technological sovereignty.
Roscosmos had been keen to beat a rival Indian spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3, to
achieve a soft landing near the lunar south pole. The Indian mission remains on
schedule for a soft landing today (around 9pm AEST).
Despite the Luna-25 failure, the head of Russia’s space agency also declared a
“new race to exploit the Moon’s resources has begun”, and there would be a
potential crewed Russian-Chinese mission in the future, as reported by
Reuters. His statement sounds like it is less about the scientific
exploration of the lunar surface, and more about geopolitical posturing.
I recently spent the better part of a decade as a senior academic at Peking
University, and in July 2023 was appointed as Executive Director of the
International Space Science Institute–Beijing. These appointments have allowed
me to gain unique insights into the processes driving China’s space science
program."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
