The United States is upping its game in the space race against China. The country wants to ensure NASA is ahead of the game when sending humans to the Moon.
US Wants To Beat China In Landing Humans on the Moon
The U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a hearing about the new Artemis plan Wednesday. Several members raised concerns about the project, especially since China shared the same goal -- sending humans to the Moon.
At the hearing, four witnesses testified -- William Russell, the U.S. government's director of contracting and national security procurement; George Scott, the acting inspector general of NASA; and Catherine Koerner, assistant administrator for the agency's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. Government Accountability Office (GAO); and Mike Griffin, who was NASA's administrator from 2005 to 2009 and is co-founder and president of the consulting firm LogiQ.
Russell and Scott talked about the difficulties facing the Artemis program, which hopes to establish a manned outpost by the end of the 2020s close to the Moon's south pole. They listed the program's cost and an aggressive launch date as some of the difficulties, along with a lack of clarity on the intended timeline.
Scott claims that NASA has not produced a thorough estimate for all of the expenditures associated with Artemis. Congress will find it challenging to decide on NASA's long-term budget requirements if the agency does not accurately report and completely account for the total cost of all existing and upcoming missions.
While acknowledging these and other difficulties, Koerner emphasized that NASA is striving to address them and is on schedule to do so.
"We believe that - and our administrator spoke about it just last week - that we will be on the surface of the Moon before China is. And it's our intent for that to happen," Koener said, while referencing comments made by NASA chief Bill Nelson.
The committee's ranking member, California Democrat Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), also expressed support for Artemis. According to her, she wants it to succeed, especially "with China at our heels." And they wish to support the committee in making sure Artemis is robust and on course as they work together with their partners to lead the globe in human exploration of the Moon and beyond.
Rich McCormick (R-GA) acknowledged that China wanted to surpass the United States as the global leader in space by 2045. According to him, they couldn't allow it, adding that their leading edge in space technology will protect not just the country's economy but the technologies that will be beneficial to humankind too.
China's CNA vs. USA's NASA on Moon Mission
US and China's space competition has turned into their respective moon missions. Both countries have earned the support of other nations for their respective lunar probe.
Egypt agreed to support China's plan for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)-to work together on the International Lunar Research Station-giving China a diplomatic victory in its rivalry with the United States for space hegemony. The Egyptian Space Agency (EGSA) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) inked a memorandum of understanding in December, and it is expected that this Chinese-backed facility will begin operations in 2030.
Other countries that China collaborates with on ILRS are Belarus, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Venezuela, Russia, and South Africa.
The Artemis Accords were founded in 2020 by the Department of State together with seven other founding members. The Rescue and Return Agreement, the Registration Convention, and the best practices and standards of responsible conduct-which include publicizing scientific data-are upheld by the accords, which support the United States and member nations.
Through the Artemis mission, NASA hopes to accomplish several firsts for science, land the first woman and person of color on the Moon, and explore a greater area of the Moon than has previously been done.
Even though NASA is in charge of Artemis, international cooperation will be essential to building a solid and reliable presence on the Moon so that NASA can prepare for the first-ever manned mission to Mars.
However, Griffin said during the recent hearing that Artemis is "excessively complex" and "unrealistically priced." Additionally, it compromises the crew's safety and is highly unlikely to be completed. So, he suggested not just to keep pushing the probe but restart it.
"For the United States and its partners not to be on the moon when others are on the moon is unacceptable," Griffin said. "We need a program that is consistent with that theme. Artemis is not that program. We need to restart it, not keep it on track."
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