Race to Shackleton Crater: Blue Origin and China Prepare for Lunar Landings
Later this year, two ambitious robotic missions are scheduled to launch toward the Moon's south pole, specifically targeting the vicinity of Shackleton Crater. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is preparing its Endurance lander, the largest lunar lander in history, for launch on a New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral. Simultaneously, China is integrating its Chang’e 7 mission, which includes a lander, orbiter, rover, and hopper drone, with a Long March 5 rocket in Hainan. Both missions aim to explore the crater's rim, a strategic location offering near-continuous sunlight for power and access to shadowed areas containing ancient water ice. This potential proximity marks the first time landers from different nations may operate simultaneously so close together on another planetary body. The missions highlight the intensifying competition between the United States and China to establish a human presence on the Moon before the decade ends. While the exact landing sequence remains uncertain, the successful deployment of these vehicles will provide critical data for future lunar bases and resource harvesting efforts, signaling a new era in international space exploration and geopolitical rivalry in cislunar space.
Wire timeline
Race to Shackleton Crater: Blue Origin and China Prepare for Lunar Landings
Later this year, two ambitious robotic missions are scheduled to launch toward the Moon's south pole, specifically targeting the vicinity of Shackleton Crater. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is preparing its Endurance lander, the largest lunar lander in history, for launch on a New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral. Simultaneously, China is integrating its Chang’e 7 mission, which includes a lander, orbiter, rover, and hopper drone, with a Long March 5 rocket in Hainan. Both missions aim to explore the crater's rim, a strategic location offering near-continuous sunlight for power and access to shadowed areas containing ancient water ice. This potential proximity marks the first time landers from different nations may operate simultaneously so close together on another planetary body. The missions highlight the intensifying competition between the United States and China to establish a human presence on the Moon before the decade ends. While the exact landing sequence remains uncertain, the successful deployment of these vehicles will provide critical data for future lunar bases and resource harvesting efforts, signaling a new era in international space exploration and geopolitical rivalry in cislunar space.
Ars Technica - All content