The new space race

A picture from the Russian rocket launch to the moon. AP  

 

The new space race 

Analysis: Much at stake in the new space race  

 

Today, Russia launched a lunar lander that will search for frozen water on the moon's south pole, AP reports. The initiative is seen as a sign of a rekindled space race between the world's major powers. 

The BBC and Fast Company circle six stakeholders: the United States, Europe, Israel, China, India and Russia. Add to that that there are also private actors. 

 

"In the past, the space race was about who could reach the stars and return home first. Now the goal has shifted to surviving and perhaps even thriving in the space environment," writes Svetla Ben-Itzhak in Fast Company. 

 

The BBC's Chris Baranuik sees Russia's rocket launch as a new race, the one for frozen water on the moon - a key building block for those actors who might want to build a base on the moon: 

 

“The small steps taken by individual landings and manned missions may ultimately become giant steps in conquering the solar system in the coming decades and centuries. Who gets there first can really matter.”  

 

 

Russian expedition soon on its way to the moon. George Walker IV / AP 

 

Russian lunar project: Extracting ice from the South Pole  

 

Russia has long-standing plans for a historic moon landing, writes El Pais. According to the plans, the Luna-25 capsule will land in a crater on the moon's south pole, a place where ice deposits are believed to exist.  

 

The purpose of the lunar trip is to explore whether it is possible to extract water on the moon. Water that, according to CNN, can be used for drinking water, creating oxygen and as fuel for longer expeditions on the moon in the future. 

 

It is the first time since 1976 that Russia plans an expedition to the moon. The last time it went, the Luna-24 capsule landed at the moon's equator and sent dust back to Earth. 

 

- We still have experience from the Soviet era and have prepared carefully for this landing, says Lev Zeleny, director of the Russian space project to state-run RT. 

 

The launch is expected to take place on Friday from northeastern Russia.