/sci/ - Science & Math

>>14975212
>there's no moon landing until the 2030s
Excuse me

>HELSINKI — China is progressing with the development of two super heavy-lift rockets for crewed missions and infrastructure launches to the moon, according to officials.

>The new launchers are designed to allow China to conduct short-term lunar landings before 2030 and send large pieces of infrastructure to the moon in the 2030s respectively.
>A two-stage version of the rocket, for sending a new generation crew spacecraft into low Earth orbit, is envisioned for a test flight in 2026. The three-core, three-stage variant capable of sending 27 metric tons into trans-lunar injection is expected to launch later in the decade.

>The kerosene-fueled rocket will use clusters of uprated versions of the existing YF-100 engine and the launcher is also intended to be made reusable. Last year other CALT officials stated that two launches of the rocket would be able to facilitate a six-hour stay on the lunar surface.

>The Long March 9 will boast a payload capacity of around 140 tons to LEO and will launch elements for the planned International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) jointly planned by China and Russia.

>CCTV did not provide details of the progress made. However, CALT earlier this month announced completion of structural tests related to the CZ5DY, and in April tested titanium engine components for the launcher.
https://topteknews.net/china-claims-progress-on-rockets-for-crewed-lunar-landings-and-moon-base-s176403.html

>Such limited data, however, does offer some idea for how rapidly China might populate the Moon.
>One might start by estimating that China devotes 40 of the potential 60 Long March-9’s to Moon missions, with the remaining to be used to support a second-generation Low Earth Orbit space station, and to begin sending people to Mars.

>The 50 square meter interior and 22.5-ton Tianhe module that could be launched by April for China’s new space station can support a crew of three. Perhaps a Moon base of four similar size modules might support a crew of six people. Assuming a Long March-9 could transport two Tianhe size Moon base habitat modules to the Moon,
then 20 Long March-9 missions might begin the building of 10 separate Chinese Moon bases.

>The other 20 Long March-9 missions could transport the Moon rovers, power systems, communication systems, mining equipment, and Moon production systems that would enable full exploitation of the Moon’s resources. This, in turn, could accelerate the Chinese regime’s ambition to build very large space-based solar power satellites to achieve energy independence on Earth.

>Such potential Chinese Moon “blitz” ambitions are of concern because it is also possible that water-ice, the most important early lunar resource objective, may be available only in a small number of locations at the Moon’s South Pole. Remember, the CCP is capable of “imperialism” as in the South China Sea.

>Permanent base in the Moon
>Short term vanity project

Seethe, cope and dilate.