SpaceX unveils new date for Starship rocket launch as US battles China for moon

SPACEX has announced the launch date for Starship’s third test launch, months after the rocket exploded in mid-air during an earlier training flight.

Starship is the rocket that NASA will use to take humans to the moon during the 2026 Artemis III mission – and ultimately to Mars in the 2030s.

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In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), the company said it is targeting March 14 for Starship’s third test flight “pending regulatory approval.”

The second test flight in October last year exploded dramatically in mid-air due to a technical fault.

The nearly 400-foot-tall rocket with 33 engines is the most powerful spacecraft ever built and costs a whopping $3 billion.

SpaceX plans to try a number of procedures on this third attempt, including propellant transfers during the coast phase of the flight.

Without the ability to transfer fuel into space, NASA will not be able to land astronauts on the moon.

If successful, SpaceX will attempt to transfer propellant from one rocket to another in orbit on the next jump.

In this process, several spacecraft will fuel a tanker in orbit, which will be used to move fuel to another spaceship that is part of NASA’s Human Landing System.

It’s part of the U.S. mission to get boots on the moon’s south pole before China does.

US vs China

The ongoing saber-rattling between the US and China has led to a renaissance of the space race of the 1960s.

The pair compete for the moon’s mysterious south pole, which both countries believe is the most feasible location for a permanent moon base.

In January, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he believed the “race” for China was over, and that the US was on track to return humans to the moon in September 2026 with Artemis III.

If all goes according to plan, Artemis III will be the first human mission on the moon since Apollo 17.

China’s military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson argues, which would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

But China has big plans and is working with Russia to realize them.

A research paper from scientists at the China National Space Administration earlier this week revealed that the country plans to build a moon base the size of Disneyland.

The planned moon base has a radius of 6 km and includes a command center, a power plant, a communications center, scientific facilities and a fleet of robots.

It will even have its own remote sensing, navigation and communications satellites.

China hopes to start construction of the moon base within the next few years and have a stripped-down version of the outpost by 2028.

Next, China and Russia plan to build a nuclear reactor by 2035 with the robots that will call the moon base their home.

Hunting for helium

The south pole of the moon has been a place of interest for all spacefaring countries including India, Russia, China and the US.

The area is considered one of the most resource-rich areas on the moon.

Last year, India made history by becoming the first country to land near the southern location.

Days before India’s success, Russia also attempted a landing at the South Pole, which resulted in an emergency landing.

There are many ‘cold traps’ on the moon’s surface that are believed to contain gases such as Helium-3, which could help produce enormous amounts of energy here on Earth.

“Even though there are many precious metals and minerals on the moon, the most valuable resource is Helium-3, because it is rare on Earth but very common on the moon,” says a report from the Universities Space Research Association (USRA ). .

“The price of Helium-3 could even reach $2,000 per liter, or $59.15 per ounce.

“It is essential to note that 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram, of Helium-3 mixed with 1.5 pounds, or 0.67 kilograms of deuterium, can produce 19 years of megawatts of energy – enough energy to power the United States for an entire year Let it turn.”