A top official in China's blossoming space program has detailed that nation's plans for lunar exploration. China this year kicks off an intensive study on technologies required for exploring the Moon, eyeing future use of lunar resources, such as Helium-3, as a power source for Earth.
Chinese space officials view the Moon as a milestone effort in a multi-step space program, not only useful in strengthening its technological muscle, but also to out-distance other countries in utilizing the Moon in the 21st century.
Luan Enjie, vice-minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and director of the China National Aerospace Administration (CNAA), blueprinted his country's lunar plans in an interview published March 3 by the People's Daily news outlet.
Multi-phased program
Luan noted the efforts to return to the Moon via future robotic probes, such as those of the European Space Agency, Japan, as well as India.
"At present when the world program of returning to the Moon has not yet been in full swing, we must seize the opportunity and start China's lunar exploration project as quickly as possible, to ensure that China has a niche in the international lunar exploration activity," Luan said.
China's multi-phase Moon program is to follow the principle of "achieving faster, better and more economical results", Luan said, making full use of technology already existing.
Draw upon existing technology
As a first step, a lunar exploration satellite will use China's DongFangHong 3 communications satellite platform. Various subsystems will also draw upon other satellite technology now available in China, Luan said. The Long-March 3A carrier rocket would be used to hurl to the Moon a lunar exploration satellite.
Elements of China's existing space monitoring hardware -- under the coordination of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) astronomical surveying network -- would be put to use to support the first-phase lunar surveying and monitoring task. The Chinese Academy of Sciences would receive, handle and interpret lunar exploratory data, Luan said.
Luan said that the scientific goal for the first phase project of China's lunar exploration is:
- Obtaining the lunar surface three-dimensional image;
- Analyzing the content of lunar surface useful elements and the characteristics of the distribution of materials;
- Surveying the thickness of lunar soil; and
- Surveying the ground-Moon spatial environment.
"The Moon has become the focal point wherein future aerospace powers contend for strategic resources. The Moon contains various special resources for humanity to develop and use", Luan said. In particular, the space official pointed to Helium-3, a resource unique to lunar soil. "[It] is a clean, efficient, safe and cheap new-type nuclear fusion fuel for mankind's future long-term use, and it will help change the energy structure of human society," he added.
Leaving homeland Earth
In the larger lunar picture, Luan said that returning to the Moon and building permanent bases "is a vitally important first step in human development of outer space resources and expansion of living space."
Human beings, Luan said, must learn how to 'leave the earth homeland', establish permanent study stations [such as those in Antarctica], develop products and industries in the space outside the earth, and set up self-sufficient extraterrestrial homeland."
The prospect for developing and possibly using lunar minerals and energy resources for the sustainable development of human society, "is the most important driving force for return to the Moon," Luan concluded.
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