Elon Musk and the NASA chief praised Beijing’s prowess

The arrival of the Chinese rover Zhurong to Mars was welcomed by the head of SpaceX as well as the current director of NASA, who has asked Congress for more resources for his agency.

Current Director of the US Space Agency, Bill Nelson, as well as President of SpaceX, Elon Musk, congratulated China on May 19 after publishing the first photos of l’astromobile Zhurong (It was named after the Chinese fire god) on Mars.

Wonderful achievement from China!

Congratulations to CNSA [l’agence spatiale chinoise] To get the first pictures of the Zhurong rover! As the international scientific community of robotic explorers expands on Mars, the United States and the world are eagerly awaiting the discoveries that Zhurong will make to enhance human knowledge on the red planet, ”said Bill Nelson, the head of NASA since May 3.“ I would like to endorse these congratulations. An exceptional achievement for China! Fostered Elon Musk who, let’s remember, fuels an ambition to actively participate in a future human colonization of the Red Planet.

If the wording of these praises contradict each other Manifestations of hostility issued by the US administration against the rise of Chinese spaceOn the same day, it should be noted that Bill Nelson was speaking before a congressional committee calling for additional funding for the US space agency.

During this hearing, the NASA administrator used the successful access to the first Chinese spacecraft on Mars to educate his audience about the efforts the United States must concede in order to maintain its standing in the space invasion. “I want you to see this picture,” he declares, also defending above all the need to increase his agency’s resources for the Artemis Lunar Program, which in particular provides a manned expedition on our natural satellite as soon as possible. 2024, though The chances of meeting this deadline are diminishing.

So Bill Nelson requested an extension Eleven billion dollars for 2022Half of it should be devoted to developing a lunar lander. As a reminder, the development of this device was initially entrusted to SpaceX before its competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics protested in court against the exclusivity attributed to Elon Musk’s company; The US authorities should take a decision on this issue at the latest Early August.

It should encourage us to move the buttocks

«[Il est temps de] Let’s know whether we want, yes or no, to get serious and launch a massive activity to bring people back to the surface of the Moon, ”Bill Nelson told Congress, stressing the efforts China is making in this regard. […] This should encourage us to move the buttocks and forcefully launch the Human Landing System program.

As mentioned The Specialist PressCNSA Deputy Secretary-General Yao Jianting said the same day after that In December 2020, the first samples from the far side of the Moon will be returned to EarthChina was planning a second mission of this type (Chang’e-6) by 2024 or 2025. Two more missions are also planned to land in the lunar poles (Chang’e-7 and 8) between 2024 and 2028. It could precede it. Establishing an international scientific station on the moon between 2030 and 2035, in cooperation with countries such as Russia.

Fabian Rives