China ready its Chang'e 6 tp far side of the moon...while Hero Ah Musk and Nasa busy pointing fingers, why hah?

[k1976]

Chang’e-6 is also nominally part of the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program. The aim of the project is to establish a permanent lunar base in the 2030s. Like the U.S. and its Artemis program, China is attempting to attract partners for the ILRS initiative.

As of early December 2023, eight countries—China, Russia, Venezuela, Belarus, South Africa, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Egypt—had signed up to the ILRS. A handful of inter-governmental organizations, firms, universities and other entities have also joined.

The first steps to establishing an ILRS robotic moon base are the Chang’e-7 and 8 south polar missions. These are scheduled for 2026 and 2028 respectively. Both China and NASA are interested in overlapping areas at the lunar south pole. The ILRS will be constructed using super heavy-lift rocket launches in the 2030s.

https://spacenews.com/chinas-change...for-first-ever-lunar-far-side-sample-mission/

 

[k1976]

https://www.reuters.com/science/moon-race-with-china-us-setbacks-test-role-private-firms-2024-01-12/


WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Two U.S. setbacks this week in the race to the moon with China illustrate the risks of NASA's plans to bet on a new strategy of relying heavily on private companies.

Fresh delays in the U.S. space agency's Artemis moon program and a propulsion issue that doomed American company Astrobotic's recent robot moon lander illustrate the difficulties faced by the only country to have set foot on the moon, as it tightens budgets while carrying on its cosmic legacy.

The United States is planning to put astronauts back on the moon in late 2026 - delayed this week from 2025 - while China is targeting 2030 for its crewed landings. Before humans arrive, each space power plans to first send several smaller robotic missions to examine the moon's surface. China's government-backed program has scored a string of firsts.

Astrobotic's lander carried seven NASA instruments that were meant to inspect the lunar surface. Although the lander won't make it to the surface intact, three other private moon missions sponsored by NASA, including a second Astrobotic attempt, are planned for this year.

 

[k1976]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fortun...vate-companies-will-attempt-moon-landing/amp/

Elon Musk might have his eyes on Mars, but as he focuses on the Red Planet, two private aerospace companies are planning to return the U.S. to the moon for the first time since 1972.

Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic Technology will send off its lander Monday, Jan. 8, aboard United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan. The lander carries 20 payloads, including five from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, along with several items of artwork and historical artifacts.

Next month, Intuitive Machines, out of Houston, hopes to launch its lander. It will use a SpaceX rocket to leave orbit, before landing on its own.

Both companies are vying to be the first private entities to successfully land a ship on the moon. Owing to the complexities of space travel, Intuitive Machines might win that race, but launch delays and other factors could impact that.

 

[k1976]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-criticizes-stagnant-space-182138307.html

Ah Musk say it is always other people fault, u agreed?