🇨🇳 Is NASA falling behind China?

NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission has come under scrutiny this week due to massive cost overruns as well as delays.

China’s space program, meanwhile, has provided an update on its own Mars sample return mission. It has highlighted the fact it could be the first nation to bring Martian samples back to Earth. Not only that, Unlike NASA, China’s space program might soon have proprietary reusable rockets in its arsenal.

What’s more, the ISS has sprung a leak! Let’s get into the juicy details below.

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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

The US is worried that China’s space industry could leave it behind. And don’t just take our word for it: US space industry leaders recently told lawmakers they are worried Chinese space research could soon outperform US research.

To make matters worse, new reports emerged this week that China’s state contractor, The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), plans to launch a four-meter-diameter reusable rocket in 2025 and a five-meter-diameter reusable rocket in 2026.

NASA is currently dealing with the repercussions of deciding to develop a non-reusable rocket for its Moon missions – the Space Launch System (SLS). That means China could soon have a varied arsenal of reusable rockets, while NASA is highly reliant on SpaceX

NASA’s SLS program has faced criticism for going wildly over budget while also relying on old non-reusable technology. In fact, in a 2022 interview with IE, former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver claimed that SLS is “not progress”.

The new update on China’s reusable rockets comes from Wang Wei, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, who spoke to the state-owned China News Service on Monday, March 4.

While Wei didn’t specify what designation the two new rockets would take, CASC is developing a five-meter-diameter crew launch vehicle called Long March 10. A variation of that rocket, dubbed “Mengzhou”, is eventually expected to take the first Chinese astronauts to the Moon.

Crucially, though, China won’t only have state-built reusable rockets. A number of Chinese startups are developing reusable rockets that could fly this year and next. Galactic Energy aims to fly its reusable Pallas-1 rocket for the first time this year, while Space Pioneer could fly its partially reusable Tianlong-3 next year.

If all goes according to plan, the country could soon have an impressive collection of reusable rockets to choose from.

PODCAST

Last week we asked “Which rocket do you want to see reach orbit first?” here are the results

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🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Rocket Lab’s Neutron (20%)

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AERO BULLETIN

A new independent audit of NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission had harsh words to say about the ambitious project.

MSR is a joint project between NASA and several partners including the European Space Agency. It aims to retrieve samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover and bring them back to Earth.

The supremely ambitious mission will one day allow scientists to analyze Martian soil samples on Earth. This could allow them to glean a whole lot about Mars’ past, including whether it might have harbored ancient microbial life.

So what exactly went wrong?

In it, NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) criticized the Mars Sample Return (MSR) project for its lack of financial planning, delayed design, and its “initial over-optimism.”

MSR was initially expected to cost $4 billion. Today, it has almost doubled that budget and is sitting at a cost of $7.4 billion. To make matters worse, the cost is expected to spiral to a staggering $8-$11 billion.

What’s more, technology readiness is an issue. The recent audit claims there is a “near zero” chance the space agency’s technology will be ready in time to catch the return window to Mars in 2030. That leaves the window open for China – whose mission is reportedly “progressing smoothly” – to swoop in an retrieve its own samples before NASA.