The dust of the Moon has not finished rising. More than fifty years after the first steps of Neil Armstrong on our natural satellite, the conquest of this star continues to fascinate. This Friday, Moscow launches its first machine towards the Moon since 1976. The Luna-25 lander must land at the South Pole, “in difficult terrain”. On Earth, Russia has drawn the animosity of Westerners by invading Ukraine, to the point that the terms cold war and “space race” are once again whispered.
The latter, which lasted from 1957 to 1975, aimed to measure the power of the USSR and the United States, beyond the atmosphere. However, it is difficult to consider that Luna-25 represents a new space showdown. “This is a spatial event that takes place over a very long time. We were already talking about this mission in 2010 and in 2016, we absolutely cannot consider that it is a decision that takes on immediate political meaning”, warns Isabelle Sourbès Verger, director of research at the CNRS and specialist in geopolitics of space and space policies.
United States and China, two spheres of influence
However, this launch “fits into a particular context that some call the new space race. At a minimum, we are seeing a new impetus towards the Moon,” notes Olivier Sanguy, head of space news at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse. The financial investment of the years 1950 to 1970 is incomparable, proportionally, with that of today. The projects also seem to respond to scientific and economic objectives, which are more precise and more down to earth. But the Moon continues to attract projects from all over the world. In this desire to explore this satellite that lights up our nights, Russia has however become a “secondary character”.
“There are two new large blocks that will compete for the Moon. The American bloc with its Japanese, European and Canadian partners and the Chinese bloc with its Russian partner”, simplifies Olivier Sanguy. “But these blocks are not as marked as during the space race, we did not see speeches like Kennedy’s in 1962,” he notes. The launch of Luna-25 therefore does not mark the start of a new space exploration war between Moscow and Washington. However, “the success or failure of this mission will obviously have an inevitable media, diplomatic, psychological impact, in the context of renewed tensions with Russia”, notes the director of research at the CNRS.
Space, “an absolute element of American power”
At the time of the space race, Washington and Moscow measured their respective powers by the yardstick of their accomplishments in the discovery of the cosmos. “It was a symbol of power before Apollo. Today, it is more a matter of media impact, international image and national pride”, believes Isabelle Sourbès Verger, who recalls that the Western media do not give the same place to other events, to like the launch of a Japanese mission or the failure of an Israeli probe in 2023. Especially since the “Russian space program is around 5 billion dollars per year against 60 billion for the States States”, she recalls, adding that Washington is “an exceptional space power”.
“For the United States, space is an absolute element of its global power. He plays in their vision of policeman of the world, of soft power or of the economic stakes of the space market”, notes the specialist in questions of geopolitics of space. “The United States is still in the dogma of “space dominance”, we cannot be the first world power without being the first in space”, notes Olivier Sanguy. By embarking on the conquest of the Moon, the Americans therefore hope to once again support their hegemony.
Pushes and stops
“The scientifically relevant sites have been listed, there are thirteen of them and everyone wants to land there quickly. It’s a bit like at the beach, the first person to put down their parasol is not dislodged! “, he explains. Because all the actors hope to “install a base” in the “medium or long term”. The “Apollo logic” is completely behind us. Today, the objective is to use the Moon as a springboard to Mars and, therefore, “to be able to manufacture the resources we need on site”, details Olivier Sanguy. To go faster, the various space agencies are giving each other a hand.
“Esa was supposed to contribute to Luna-25 but the invasion in Ukraine put a stop to this cooperation,” says Isabelle Sourbès Verger. Interstate cooperation – having with private companies like SpaceX – seems to allow many players in the space scene to put on their spacesuits more quickly. Despite very strong international tensions, Russia continues to collaborate with Western nations on space, in particular by sharing the International Space Station (ISS). For now. “Ten years ago, they planned to follow the American program and continue their cooperation on and around the Moon. But today the question no longer arises”, says Isabelle Sourbès Verger.