The Moon Race: A Global Pursuit of Space Exploration
Five decades on from the last of the Apollo missions, the Moon is once again a target for space exploration.
The number of astronauts who walked on the Moon hasn't changed in over 50 years. Only 12 human beings have had this privilege – all Americans – but that will soon increase.
The historical two-nation competition between the US and Soviet space agencies for lunar exploration has become a global pursuit. Launching missions to either orbit the Moon or land on its surface is now carried out by governments and commercial companies from Europe and the Middle East to the South Pacific.
China landed the unmanned Chang'e 3 in 2013. Six years later, Chang'e 4 became the first mission to land on the far side of the Moon. The robotic Chang'e 5 returned lunar samples back to Earth in 2020, and Chang'e 6 will bring back the first samples from the Moon's far side. China is aiming to put astronauts on the Moon before 2030.
After being delayed four times, the first Artemis mission lifted-off in November 2022. Not surprisingly, recently announced delays to Nasa's own Moon programme Artemis, which has pushed back plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface to September 2026 at the earliest, has produced the phrase "Moon Race" between the US and China.
India became the fourth nation to land on the Moon with the unmanned Chandrayaan-3 in August 2023, which touched down close to the lunar south pole. After its success, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced it aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2040.
Meanwhile, Japan's Slim (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) mission recently placed its Moon Sniper lander on lunar soil to become the fifth nation on our nearest neighbor. The Japanese space agency, Jaxa, is also nearing the end of negotiations to put a Japanese astronaut on the Moon as part of the US Artemis programme.
Other countries – such as Israel, South Korea, and numerous member states of the European Space Agency (Esa) – have also placed robotic spacecraft into lunar orbit. Nasa recently announced that the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would provide an airlock for Gateway, its planned lunar orbiting space station for the Artemis missions.
The reasons for going vary: from scientific knowledge and technological advances to the prospect of accessing potentially useful lunar resources and political or economic value.
In January, Astrobotic, a company based in Pittsburgh, launched Peregrine Mission 1. It was to be the first US spacecraft to land on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972.
India has also seen a boom in space start-ups such as Pixel, Dhruva Space, Bellatrix Aerospace and Hyderabad's Skyroot Aerospace, which launched India's first private rocket in 2022.
In October 2023, an Australian private company, Hex20, announced a collaboration with Skyroot Aerospace and Japan's ispace, which will attempt its second robotic lunar landing at the end of this year.
The four astronauts who will go into lunar orbit on Artemis II – Nasa's Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover plus Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen – all feature in London's immersive Moonwalkers show.
Former Nasa Apollo flight director, Gerry Griffin, after watching the show described the Artemis programme as "wonderful".
"I'm worried about the funding," he says. "It's going to always be a problem." But Griffin is optimistic and full of confidence in its astronauts. "We got the best. They are really, really good. But we've got to get going. It's time we get back."
Analyst comment
Positive News:
– The Moon is once again a target for space exploration, with multiple countries and commercial companies launching missions to orbit or land on the Moon.
– China has made significant progress, landing missions on the far side of the Moon and aiming to send astronauts there before 2030.
– India, Japan, and other countries have also made advancements in lunar exploration.
Neutral News:
– NASA’s Artemis program has faced delays, pushing back plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface to September 2026 at the earliest.
– Concerns exist about funding for future missions.
Market Outlook:
– The renewed interest in lunar exploration and the Moon Race between the US and China could result in increased investments in the space industry.
– Companies involved in lunar missions, spacecraft development, and related technologies could experience growth opportunities.
– The market for lunar resources, such as mining and utilization technologies, may see expansion.
– Overall, the market is likely to witness continued innovation and competition in the field of space exploration, driven by various nations and commercial entities.
