05 March 2018
China is planning to build a base on the Moon, according to Zhao Xiaojin, Party Chief of the China Academy of Space Technology at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). In the initial stages, the planned Moon base will be controlled by artificial intelligence robots, and after a manned lunar-landing, it will be occasionally managed by human beings. The unmanned base on the Moon will greatly improve lunar exploration efficiency, as it will be able to provide many facilities that can be used for thorough scientific research, Jiao Weixin, a space science professor at Peking University, told the Global Times on 04 March. Compared to the U.S.'s space station in lunar orbit (Deep-Space Gateway; now called: Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G)), China's Moon base will be more practical and efficient in conducting research, said Jiao, explaining that human beings in lunar orbit play only a limited role in lunar surface expeditions.
MORE...