China Plans To Have A Base On The Moon Before 2030
China is planning to have a moon base established by the end of the decade.
China has announced plans to construct a moon base within the decade, leaving NASA in the proverbial moon dust. According to an SCMP write-up from Ling Xin in Beijing, the Chinese government has asked its scientists to look into the concept of constructing a base on the moon using bricks of lunar soil. This process would require the help of advanced robotics and careful engineering to establish the first-ever surface base of this kind.
Over 100 of the nation’s top experts met during a recent summit in Wuhan to work out the details of the infrastructure requirements needed to build the China moon base, which would revolutionize humanity’s relationship with outer space. This information comes just weeks after reports of the Nokia company planning to put internet access on the moon, which would allow almost real-time communication with the moon’s inhabitants. With any luck, we could see humans planting roots on the natural satellite by the time The Avengers finally clash with Kang The Conqueror.
The nation isn’t wasting any time putting its moon boots on the ground, as China has already been probing the possibility of constructing a moon base for some time. Of course, having to shuttle the tools and equipment all the way to the moon would be a costly nightmare, as well as requiring significantly too much travel time back and forth. The fastest possible route to the moon takes over three days of spacecraft travel, requiring a more than 240,000-mile one-way trip and several dangerous calculations along the way.
This is where the concept of lunar bricks comes into play. Huazhong University of Science and Technology scientist Ding Lieyun explained during a recent interview that his team of engineers were able to create a prototype of the projected China moon base using 3D-printed bricks of lunar soil. A lunar module robot, aptly titled the Chinese Super Mason, then laid the bricks on one another, constructing an egg-shaped habitat suitable for human inhabitants on the moon’s surface.
With all this advanced technology coming together, it seems that China is well on its way to breaking ground on the moon base during their projected period of roughly five years. Ding and his team have put forth plans to begin the mission, titled Chang’e-8, before 2028, with an additional mission in the works to study the far side of the moon as well, called the Chang’e-6. The Chang’e-6 mission is a collaborative effort with French scientists scheduled to begin early in 2025.
With extraterrestrial construction appearing to be a viable option, terraforming the moon’s surface may soon lead to our next great discovery. Recent research appears to show water lurking beneath the moon’s crust, meaning the creation of the China moon base could unearth these water molecules, allowing the moon to function as a refueling station for oncoming spacecraft. Of course, this is just the beginning, with science continuing to create previously unthinkable possibilities for the future of our civilization.
