- NASA warns China could restrict US access to lunar South Pole.
- Shackleton Crater's water ice fuels US-China lunar exploration competition.
- China's Chang'e 7 mission delay gives US more time.
China could potentially prevent the US from accessing some of the Moon’s most sought-after locations if it establishes a foothold at the lunar South Pole first, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has warned, highlighting the growing competition between the two countries over future lunar exploration.
The concern centres on the Shackleton Crater, a region near the South Pole that contains permanently shadowed areas known as “cold traps”. These locations are believed to hold water ice and other materials that could be valuable for future missions.
Speaking at the Off World conference in Houston on Wednesday, Isaacman said China’s delayed Chang’e 7 mission was aimed at the same area.
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“They are targeting the same location on the lunar south pole,” Isaacman said, according to Ars Technica. “We may have dodged a bullet with the Chang'e 7 mission a couple of weeks ago because that would have gone to the Shackleton crater,” he added.
Why The US Is Concerned
The issue is not only about reaching the Moon first. Isaacman and other US officials have raised concerns that the establishment of safety zones around lunar spacecraft could affect where subsequent missions are able to operate.
Under proposed safety protocols, spacecraft could require exclusion perimeters extending roughly one to five kilometres around landing sites. Isaacman suggested that an early presence could therefore make access to nearby areas more difficult for later missions.
“It has rovers, it has hopper drones like we now have in development but didn't have eight months ago, and could have potentially denied access to some of the most interesting spots,” Isaacman said.
Chang’e 7 Delay
China delayed the Chang’e 7 mission last month. The robotic mission is designed to study the lunar South Pole using four types of spacecraft: an orbiter, lander, rover and mobile “hopper”.
The delay could give the US additional time to reach the region. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 is currently planned for a spring 2027 mission and is expected to carry two NASA probes to the lunar South Pole.
Isaacman said China’s interest in lunar water ice also forms part of its broader ambitions in space. He linked the country’s lunar exploration programme to its longer-term plans for Mars.
The NASA administrator stressed the significance of being the first to establish a presence in the region.
“If you come up short with who comes down the ladder first, the impact is felt around the world,” Isaacman said.
China is working towards sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030, while the US is pursuing missions aimed at building a sustained human and scientific presence around the lunar South Pole.
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