While China and Russia accelerate their projects on the Moon, the United States is crossing a new course. A geopolitical race opens and it is just beginning.
Energy as a strategic weapon
NASA has formalized its will toInstall a 100 kilowatts nuclear reactor on the moon. It is no longer just a question of putting men there but of establishing a sustainable presence. The American agency aims to provide a stable source of energy to future lunar bases, as part of the Artemis program.
The calendar is ambitious. According to Sean Duffy, interim administrator of NASA, ” It is imperative that the agency act quickly“. This statement comes after several joint ads in China and Russia. The two powers also want implement a lunar station Equipped with a reactor by 2035.
In appearance, it is a question of guaranteeing the energy autonomy of human installations in an unusual environment. But the choice of nuclear associated with a desire for occupation transforms this technical advance into a tool of power.
The American project goes beyond simple energy production. He also includes Support infrastructure. Namely, transmission, storage and distribution networks. Necessary infrastructures to consider more distant missions and especially on Mars.
A geopolitical competition
Officially the Treaty of the space of 1967 prohibits any territorial appropriation on the Moon. But technical realities suggest other practices. The installation of a reactor requires a safety area. De facto, this could prevent other nations from accessing certain strategic areas. “” The first country to go there could declare a prohibited area“, To warn Sean Duffy. Such a maneuver would potentially hinder the Artemis program, if China was ahead of the United States.
The issues are therefore not only scientific. The moon becomes the new place of a symbolic confrontation between rival blocks. Beijing has already tested its landing Lanlyuecapable of transporting humans to the moon. With Moscow, she projects the Construction of an international lunar base. This space offensive pushes the United States to redouble their efforts.
Europe, referee or actor?
Europe does not stay away. Several projects, public and private, draw a cooperation but also independence strategy. Italy develops, the Selene project, a lunar energy system based on Nuclear mini-reactors. The European space agency with its program Moonlightwants to set up a network of satellites for navigation and lunar communications.
Europe could become An essential partner in this new era of exploration. But it can also, by developing its own capacities, play a mediator Between the great powers. In particular, laying the foundations for an international normative framework for the exploitation of the moon.
The Moon, New Front
The moon will no longer be only a symbolic objective. By 2030, it could well house permanent, energetic and human infrastructure. The United States, China and Russia want to mark their territory. Maybe their sovereignty? However, without being able to officially claim it.
In this new conquest, it may be the beginning of a New Cold War that begins.
