A natural satellite of the Earth is still an interesting option for a variety of space programs. The moon is important for humanity as the closest object to Earth and as the first step towards the possible colonization of space. Both Europe and Asia are showing interest in a natural satellite today. Russia, China and Europe have their own lunar programs.
At a meeting that took place on December 2, 2014 in Luxembourg, ESA (European Space Agency) put forward an idea that involves joint cooperation with Russia in the form of supplies of equipment for two space missions planned by Roscosmos over the next six years. The first of these missions, Luna 27, is due in 2019. It is assumed that the lunar module should land in the southern hemisphere of the moon, where it will study the atmosphere and soil. The second Russian lunar mission is scheduled for 2020, it will be aimed at delivering samples collected on the Moon back to our planet.
It should be noted that initially European officials from science did not intend to cooperate with our country, but the ESA pointed out to them that such cooperation is almost the only opportunity for Europe to secure long-term access to the Moon, while cooperation between Europe and Russia will provide potential benefits to both parties. Initially, the idea of partnering with the Russian space agency was a potential solution to the problems that the European lunar mission faced back in 2012, when the proposal to develop a European lander failed to gain sufficient support.
The proposal for a joint mission to the south pole of the moon is superimposed on the growing political friction between the West and Russia, which inspires well-founded fears in the success of any joint missions, even in space. However, at the moment, Roskosmos continues to cooperate with its Western partners. This is how the Russian space agency cooperates with the ESA ExoMars mission. As part of this mission, the Russian rocket, carrier module and lander will deliver the ESA rover to the red planet in 2018. In addition, Roskosmos, together with the European Space Agency, continues its work on the ISS. Both of these missions are proceeding smoothly today, European officials say, without any influence from the current geopolitical situation.
China plans a manned flight to the moon
Currently, the PRC is working on the creation of a large launch vehicle, which is designed to carry out a manned flight to the moon. This is reported by the Chinese state media. According to the China Daily, the rocket called "Long March 9" will belong to the missile family of the same name. Currently, work on its creation is at the design stage, and the first launch of the rocket should take place in 2028. It is reported that the Long March 9 rocket will be able to launch up to 130 tons of payloads into space, that is, about the same amount as the Space Launch System, a heavy NASA launch vehicle, which is to be launched in 2018. It is assumed that initially the American rocket will launch 70 tons of cargo into orbit. At the same time, NASA has already announced that their rocket system will be able to have "unprecedented lift."
Li Tongyu, who is the head of the aerospace development department of the Chinese Academy of Launcher Technology, noted that the Chinese-made launch vehicles already in operation, including the "Long March 5", which will be launched in the near future, are completely satisfied the needs of Beijing for the next 10 years. At the same time, he agrees that the capabilities of the existing missiles are not enough to implement promising programs.
The PRC considers its own extremely expensive space program as an opportunity for the state to declare itself, as well as to confirm the correctness of the chosen course, which was taken by the ruling Communist Party of the country. Beijing's plans include assembling a complex space station by 2020 (the first modules of the station have already been launched into orbit), as well as a manned flight to the moon and the construction of a permanent habitable base on its surface.
According to Li Tongyu, the height and diameter of the Long March 9 rocket will significantly exceed the dimensions of the Long March 5. He noted that the need to develop a new rocket appeared for the reason that the thrust of the existing rockets is simply not enough to bring the spacecraft to the lunar trajectory. At the same time, the new super-heavy rocket "Great March 9" will have to be used not only for flights to the moon, but also in other promising programs aimed at studying deep space. In the meantime, Chinese engineers estimate that the diameter of the new rocket should be from 8 to 10 meters, and the mass - about 3 thousand tons.
At the same time, the celestial lunar program started back in 2007, when China first put the Chang'e-1 probe into lunar orbit. It was followed by the second spacecraft of this series, and the landing module of the third probe allowed the successful landing of the first Chinese lunar rover, Yuta. In the coming years, China expects to launch new probes, which will have to deliver new samples of lunar soil to our planet.
Beijing expects to build its own permanent base on the moon by 2050. This was reported by the Beijing Times last year, citing sources in the Chinese army. Also in September 2014, the Japanese media reported that China wanted to create the PLA aerospace troops. And the chairman of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, appealed to the military with an appeal to actively develop space and air forces, strengthening their defensive and offensive potential.
Russian orbital station, as a step to the moon
The past year, apparently, has finally convinced the Russian government that it will have to end with the Russian-American cooperation on the ISS after 2020. At the same time, information appeared about the construction of its own, completely Russian station. At least, this is exactly the tone that sounded at the end of November 2014 within the framework of the meeting that took place at Baikonur. The meeting was devoted to the prospects for the development of national cosmonautics after 2020. From a technical point of view, as the general and chief designers of Russian space enterprises are talking about, the country is already ready to deploy its station in a high-latitude orbit (inclination 64.8 degrees versus 51.6 degrees at the International Space Station) in a high-latitude orbit by 2017-2018. In its initial configuration, it can consist of a multipurpose laboratory as well as power modules, attached Progress-MS and Soyuz-MS spacecraft, as well as the promising OKA-T spacecraft.
According to the Zvezda TV channel, the OKA-T spacecraft should be an autonomous technological module. This module consists of a sealed compartment, a scientific laboratory, a docking station, an airlock and a leaky compartment, in which it will be possible to conduct experiments in open space. The mass of scientific equipment put into the project should be approximately 850 kg. In this case, the equipment can be placed not only inside the apparatus, but also on the elements of its external suspension.
What can our own space station give our country apart from feelings of self-sufficiency and independence? The first is a significant increase in control over the situation in the Arctic. This region for Russia in the coming years begins to acquire strategic importance. It is in the Arctic today that the same "hydrocarbon Klondike" is located, which will feed the Russian economy for many years and will help to survive even the most difficult economic times. Also in the Arctic today is the NSR - the Northern Sea Route - a transcontinental sea route that connects Southeast Asia and Europe. In the middle of the XXI century, this highway may begin to compete in terms of freight traffic with the Strait of Malacca or the Suez Canal. Second, the work of the Russian rocket and space industry will be substantially intensified, which will be able to get a real point of application of efforts and ideas. Third, the development of a national orbital station makes it possible to get close to the idea of performing manned flights of Russian cosmonauts to the Moon and Mars, which is so far away. At the same time, manned programs are always very costly, the decision to implement them is often political in nature and must meet national interests.
In the case of the Russian orbital station, they are observed. At the current stage of the development of the ISS in its current form for Russia, it has already passed the stage. However, flying to the domestic station is the same as flying to the ISS. Therefore, it is important to immediately determine the range of tasks of the new Russian station. According to Vladimir Bugrov, lead designer for manned rocket and space complexes for landing on the Moon and Energia-Buran, the future Russian station should be a prototype of an interplanetary spacecraft. Initially, Sergei Korolev also planned to work out his TMK - a heavy interplanetary ship in Earth orbit, as a heavy orbital station. It was this decision that was the basis of his proposed interplanetary program, which was approved by a political decision.
In addition to the main benefits that Russia can get from the development of its own space station, there are also a large number of pleasant "bonuses" - from the additional load that our Plesetsk cosmodrome will receive and ending with the paid training of Chinese cosmonauts. It's no secret that Beijing has developed a very ambitious space program. As early as 2030, our large southeastern neighbor expects to land its first taikonaut on the moon. And in 2050, China expects to launch from its own lunar base to Mars. However, at present, the Chinese simply have no experience in conducting long-term space missions.
So far, there is nowhere to get such an experience. China does not yet have a full-fledged station of its own, and the Soviet "Mir" has long been flooded. On the ISS, the Americans are not allowed to enter the ISS. According to the adopted rules, access to the ISS is available only to those people whose candidacies have been agreed upon by all states participating in the ISS project. Given the general tension in US-China relations, one can hardly hope that a taikonaut will be able to step on board the ISS in the next 6 years. In this regard, the Russian space station could give the Chinese a unique chance to gain invaluable experience of a long stay in orbit before they go to the Moon. However, such an option is not excluded when Russian cosmonauts and Chinese taikonauts at some stage of cooperation will be able to fly to the Moon together.
