CHINA has tabled plans for a magnetic Moon launcher that can catapult pricey lunar materials back to Earth.
It is just one of China’s grand plans for its sprawling habitation base at the lunar south pole, which it aims to share with Russia.
The plan, from the Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering, will allow space-faring nations to transport cargo from the Moon at a fraction of the cost.
Researchers call it the magnetic levitation facility, and it works on the same principle as the hammer throw in athletics.
This is where someone spins a ball and chain round and round very fast, before letting go and flinging it into the distance.
“The system’s technical readiness is relatively high,” the researchers wrote in the journal Aerospace Shanghai.
“Since it consumes only electricity and does not require any propellant, it will be relatively small in scale and straightforward to implement.”
Scientists aim to capitalise on the Moon’s high vacuum and low gravity environment which would be able to eject two payloads a day.
The proposed launch system would use a 50metre (165ft) rotating arm a high-temperature superconducting motor to launch capsules full of lunar materials.
In theory, it would take just 10 minutes for the rotating arm to reach the Moon’s escape velocity.
The system would be powered by solar and nuclear energy.
Both China, alongside Russia, and the US have plans to build a nuclear power station on the Moon.
Weighing roughly 80tonnes, it will require China’s super heavy lift rocket, the Long March 9, to carry it to the lunar surface.
The lunar south pole has been a site of interest to all space-faring nations, including China, Russia, India and the US.
The location, scientists believe, is the most promising for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon.
The main goal is to extract and return Helium-3 to help address Earth’s energy crisis.
The Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering team in Aerospace Shanghai
More than that, experts believe there is an abundance of precious lunar materials – like Helium-3 – that are lurking beneath the regolith at the south pole.
“The main goal is to extract and return Helium-3 to help address Earth’s energy crisis,” researchers explained.
“The project will also boost the development of space mining technologies, heavy launch vehicles, and artificial intelligence.”
While Helium-3 is a rare isotope on Earth, much less common than its Helium-4 sibling, it is abundant on the Moon.
The south polar region is one of the Moon's most resource-dense areas.
In a report, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) said that the price of transporting precious metals like Platinum and Rhodium back to Earth wouldn’t be cost-effective.
However, that doesn’t apply to Helium-3.
So-called ‘cold traps’ dotted on lunar surface are believed to contain gases like Helium-3 which can help produce huge amounts of energy here on Earth.
It’s one of the main ingredients in nuclear fusion, alongside deuterium.
“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,” experts write.
“The price of Helium-3 could be even as much as $2,000 per litre, 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.”
According to the Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering, 20 tonnes of Helium-3 alone would meet China’s annual electricity needs.
Earth harbours only 0.5 tonnes of Helium-3, while there is an estimated one million tonnes of it on the Moon.
That’s enough to sustain the world’s energy needs for over a thousand years, the Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering’s paper said.
