Chang’e-5 will be launched today if weather conditions are favorable. Named after a Chinese moon goddess, the unmanned rocket is the epitome of China’s space ambitions. At the end of 2018, the country already impressed with a unique landing on the back of the moon.
The lunar lander then delivered potatoes and flower seeds. Now the Chinese want to take part of the moon with them. “There is a chance that they will find valuable minerals there,” says Frans von der Dunk. Finds that, says the professor of space law, could give China an even more prominent role in space.
Living on the moon
“If all this succeeds, because that is still the question with space travel, they will take a big step towards the two following goals”, explains Von Der Dunk. “That is primarily the mining of more raw materials. That can be done with robots, but China is also working on plans to make a manned moon mission a success, just like the US.”
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And just like large commercial parties, such as Elon Musk’s company, the Chinese gaze also extends beyond the moon. For example to missions to the planet Mars. According to the professor, the moon plays a crucial role in those plans. And in particular a possible departure from that planet towards Mars.
“Just think of gravity. On the moon, it is only one-sixth of the gravity with us on Earth. That means that it takes only one-sixth of the energy to launch rockets and other craft. It offers great possibilities.”
Settlements on the Moon
But to be able to depart from the moon, a sustainable way of life must first be created there. And that makes Chinese research into raw materials so important. “This can be used to study whether possible settlements on the moon can be self-sufficient. Because it is commercially unfeasible if you have to shoot everything that is needed there.”
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But who owns the other planets in our universe and therefore also the raw materials on those celestial bodies? And can you just mine those raw materials and take them back to Earth? Can anyone who wants to build and settle there?
These are the questions Von Der Dunk has been dealing with for years. Most of them were enshrined in the 1967 Space Treaty. But since only nations signed the treaty, some private individuals saw an opportunity to claim planets themselves.
Earned millions
For example, Dennis Hope wrote a letter to the United Nations in which he claimed the planets. Because there was no response or notice of objection, Hope has since claimed to be the rightful owner. It has become his life’s work. Hope sells pieces of “his” moon for $ 25 to $ 500 each.
“Legally it is bullshit,” said the professor of space law. “The American government can never honor this. When someone in the US with such a certificate goes to court to demand that others have to stay away from ‘his’ piece of land, that person will be disappointed.”
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Hope may have misrepresented planets, but the American reportedly made millions selling pieces of the planet. Because Mars, Mercury and Venus are also sold by Hope. And Pluto is for sale in its entirety. For $ 250,000, he said that planet would be all yours.
American flag
According to the professor, the Chinese mission is sharpening the discussion about what may or may not happen to the moon. “The moon belongs to no one, and therefore actually everyone. This means there are absolute limits to what countries on other planets can and may do. And countries adhere to that too.”
Something that became clear, for example, in 1969 during the successful manned moon mission of the Americans. For example, according to Von Der Dunk, the US emphasized that the planting of the American flag was a symbolic act of pride.
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China will not be the first country not to return empty-handed from a moon mission. During manned moon landings between 1969 and 1972, America took as much as 382 kg of raw materials to Earth.
And the then Soviet Union was also very interested in what can be found on the moon. But because they only went out with unmanned lunar landers, the yield was a lot lower: 326 grams, divided over three moon landings.
Keep or share the proceeds?
After that space race in the 1960s and 1970s, countries lost interest in the substances found on the moon. The focus and with it the money was spent on other things. But with a renewed interest in power in space, the discussion about the use of that planet is also returning.
According to Von Der Dunk, these views can be divided into two schools of thought. “On the one hand, for example, you have the Russians who say that because the moon belongs to everyone, the substances and knowledge found should also be shared with everyone.”
“On the other hand, you have countries like America that believe that planets should be seen as the open seas on Earth. Just like the fish you catch there, money can also be made in space.”
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So the rules for using the moon are in a gray area. And according to the professor, that makes the step that China is now taking even more interesting. “The US has never seen the need to tighten the rules because it was the only country that could conduct these kinds of missions.”
Underestimation
But just like on Earth, that American predominance now seems to be tilting in space as well. “That makes it look like what happened in the 50s and 60s. At the time, America, for example, thought that the Soviet Union did not have it in it to make atomic bombs. Now it may just be that China is unexpectedly making very big steps.”
If all goes well, the pieces of moon will be flown back to Earth in early December. The landing is scheduled for December 2 on a plain in central Mongolia, northern China.
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