From the Moon to Mars, the US competes with Russia and China in a race for space.

More than half a century ago, humans first set foot on the moon. Now, NASA is preparing for a human return to Earth with Artemis II, a mission that, although postponed several times, will usher in a special new era.

But this new race for milestones in space is also being led by private companies, with their sights set on an even greater achievement: Mars. And it's not just NASA and Elon Musk who want to achieve it. Russia is developing a plasma engine, and China is willing to send a drone to the red planet.

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RETURN TO THE MOON, BUT WITH A DELAY

The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts (including the first woman and the next Black man to orbit the Moon) aboard the Orion spacecraft. It will also be the precursor to Artemis III, with the four crew members landing on the moon. Artemis IV, in turn, will make a second lunar landing.

However, Artemis II and III have been delayed several times. The most recent delay, in late 2024, postponed Artemis II from 2025 to 2026, presumably in April, and Artemis III from 2026 to 2027.

The reason for this postponement appears to be a problem with Orion's heat shield. However, Artemis IV, scheduled for 2028, was not affected at the time and remained on schedule.

However, last May, the Trump administration's cuts meant that Artemis missions would end after Artemis III, thus canceling the Orion capsule and SLS rocket projects, as well as the Gateway lunar station, which was intended to house astronauts continuously.

But that's not all. Congress recently approved a measure to continue the Artemis program, despite criticism from Elon Musk, who has repeatedly stated that the goal should not be the Moon but Mars.

NASA, for its part, has made it clear that the Earth's satellite is a testing ground for future missions to the Red Planet: "We will use what we've learned on and around the Moon to take the next big step: sending the first astronauts to Mars," NASA's website states.

In addition, NASA is committed to establishing a communications center with Earth on the Moon in the future, issuing a request for proposals to U.S. companies on July 7. “These collaborations drive important advancements,” said Greg Heckler, deputy director of capability development for the SCaN Program.

MARS, ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME AS THE MOON

For its part, SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, is not only one of NASA's rocket suppliers, but is also moving forward with its own program for private flights and reusable spacecraft, Starship. However, on June 19, they reported that the rocket exploded during the tenth flight test, although "no injuries were reported."

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As early as October 2024, Musk set a date for the first trips to Mars, stating that “many spacecraft will go to Mars in two years, when the transit window opens again,” via his X account.

That is, it would theoretically occur in 2026, although "the first wave will have no passengers, and the second, 26 months later, will." That is, "provided that the first mission doesn't increase the number of craters on Mars." The CEO thus dated humanity's arrival at its ambitious destination to approximately 2028.

But Musk's plans go beyond a quick visit to the red planet: "If civilization is reasonably stable over the next 30 years, a self-sustaining city of more than a million people will be built on Mars."

And, as he stated on the same social network at the end of June, "moving to Mars is not yet an option, but it will be if civilization can last another 25 years or so."

Something that some recent medical discoveries could pose a problem for. A study from Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital revealed that more than 70% of astronauts who spend long periods on the Space Station experience symptoms of spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (NASS).

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“We need to find out if these symptoms stabilize or worsen over time,” explained Dr. Michael Roberts, head of NASA’s space vision research program. In his words, “an astronaut with impaired vision could jeopardize an entire mission to Mars.”

A RACE TO THE PLANET OF ARES, MARS

And, in the midst of this scenario, Musk has a competitor: the Russian company Rosatom has developed a plasma engine that is supposedly 12 times faster than Starship and could significantly reduce travel time to Mars.

“Currently, a one-way trip to Mars aboard a spacecraft with conventional engines can take almost a year, which poses a significant risk to astronauts considering radiation exposure,” said Alexey Voronov, First Deputy Director General for Science at the Rosatom Research Institute in Troitsk.

Voronov, in statements reported by Atom Media, explained that "plasma engines could reduce flight duration to just 30 to 60 days." This technology uses a magnetic accelerator for propulsion, and can theoretically reach speeds of up to 100 km/s.

He also emphasized that "the creation of this prototype is a crucial milestone, as it will demonstrate whether the engine is suitable for future nuclear tugs in space and whether its production costs can be reduced."

China is also joining the race, albeit with a different goal: to deploy a drone on Mars and return to Earth with half a kilogram of samples. This is the Tianwen-3 mission, scheduled for launch in 2028 and return in 2031.

Hou Zengqian of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chief scientist for the mission, said in an article published in Nature Astronomy that “the mission will mark a crucial step in China’s planetary exploration.”

"We hope to provide the international community with an unprecedented opportunity to understand Mars." They also have one goal in mind: "to unravel the mystery of whether life ever existed there," searching for biomarkers and other signs of life, and studying the evolution of the Red Planet's habitability.

You see. Humanity is determined not only to return to the Moon, but also to reach Mars. And in an age where technology is advancing by leaps and bounds and companies are joining the space race, the destination seems to be infinite... and beyond.

HIGHLIGHTS :

Can you imagine living on Mars? Elon Musk does, "if humanity can last another 25 years."

- NASA, racing with SpaceX: “We will use what we learned on the Moon with Artemis and to send the first astronauts to Mars.”

- Russia and China also have their own missions to reach the red planet, one of them aimed at "discovering if there was life there."

By Nora Cifuentes EFE-Reports.