Elon Musk’s SpaceX reveals new date for lunar-rocket Starship launch after in-air explosion as US battles China for moon

SPACEX has revealed the launch date for Starship’s third test launch, months after the rocket exploded in-air on a previous practice run.

Starship is the rocket Nasa will use to take humans to the moon in the 2026 Artemis III mission – and eventually to Mars in the 2030s.

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

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

The 33-engine, nearly 400-feet tall rocket is the most powerful spacecraft ever built and costs a whopping $3billion.

SpaceX plans to trial a number of procedures in this third attempt, including a propellant transfer during the coast phase of the flight.

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

If successful, the next leap will see SpaceX try transfer propellant from one rocket to another in orbit.

This process will see several Starships fuel a tanker in orbit, which will be used to shift fuel to another Starship part of Nasa’s Human Landing System.

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

US v China

The ongoing sabre wacking between the US and China has sparked a Renaissance for the space race of the 60s.

The pair are squaring up in a fight for the moon’s mysterious south pole, which both countries believe is the most viable location for a permanent lunar base.

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

If all goes to plan, Artemis III will be the first human assignment 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 claims, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

But China has big plans, and has teamed up with Russia to make it happen.

A research paper from scientists at the China National Space Administration earlier this week revealed the country plans to build a Disneyland-sized lunar base.

The planned lunar base has a radius of 3.7miles and comprises a command centre, a power station, a communication hub, scientific facilities, and a fleet of robots.

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

China hopes to begin building the lunar base within the next few years and have a stripped down version of the outpost established by 2028.

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

Hunt for helium

The lunar south pole has been a site of interest to all space-faring nations, including India, Russia, China and the US.

The area is understood to be one of the Moon’s most resource-dense areas.

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

Days before India’s success, Russia also made an attempt at a south pole touchdown, which resulted in a crash landing.

There are lots of ‘cold traps’ on lunar surface that are believed to contain gases like Helium-3, which can help produce huge 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 since it is rare on Earth, but is very common on the Moon,” a report by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) says.

“The price of Helium-3 could be even as much as $2000 per Liter, or $59.15 per ounce respectively.

“It is essential to mention 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 megawatt energy – enough power to run the United States for a whole year.”

This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk