Outer space, explained.
NASA’s Orion Spacecraft takes a selfie with Earth and Moon during the Artemis I mission in November 2022 (NASA Orion Spacecraft/Flickr)
A lunar return will define our decade.
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The Artemis generation: Space diplomacy’s next giant leapThe Artemis generation: Space diplomacy’s next giant leap
More than half a century has passed since Gene Cernan was the last human to walk on the moon, during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. However, in a matter of a few years, astronauts will once more be on their way to the lunar surface. The Artemis campaign, led by NASA with international coalition partners, seeks to establish a long-term presence on the moon, paving the way for future missions into the solar system. Each mission is a stepping stone towards that objective.
Artemis II is currently scheduled for no later than April 2026 and the mission will carry four astronauts on a flyby of the Moon. This paves the way for Artemis III, which will see boots once again on the lunar surface a year or so after. As NASA describes it, this is “one of the most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity in the history of deep space exploration.”
As the backlash to pop-icon Katy Perry’s trip to space illustrated, space suffers from a communication problem.
Today, few things manage to truly stop and change how we think and operate like happened with the original Apollo 11 moon landing. Yet one of the many clues that humanity's return to the Moon will again result in zeitgeist-shaping moment is visible in how space is gradually seeping to the forefront of the national consciousness. In Australia we’ve seen ABC interrupt live broadcasts to watch SpaceX launches. Airtime has been given to Gilmour Space Technologies’ impending first launch and Southern Launch’s successful return of the Varda Space Industries capsule.
Yet as the backlash to pop-icon Katy Perry’s trip to space illustrated, space suffers from a communication problem. As effectively underscored by Harry Readhead, the sector is inherently geared to speaking to itself, within its own bubble. The sector struggles to translate its jargon – and the opportunities they offer – to both decision makers and the broader public. Perry’s sojourn might have been tourism, but the potential is so much greaters.
Especially for Australia, from maritime to agriculture to mining, space applications are central to people’s daily lives. This includes improving food security, bushfire and flood mitigation, long-distance education and healthcare. It’s both a standalone domain and the ultimate enabling domain, including for the military.
The last time the world found itself at a looming inflection point around space science, it took on cultural symbolism: an ideological victory for human ingenuity and the Western Bloc against the Soviet Union. Somewhat similar lines are now drawn with China’s ambition to have boots on the Moon by 2030. US Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Committee considering the appointment of nominee Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, spoke to “staying course” with the Moon landing, adding, “an extreme shift in priorities would almost certainly mean a red moon, ceding ground to China for generations to come.”
The Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, has spoken to how “Apollo inspired an entire generation of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs to go on and do amazing things.” Indeed, John F. Kennedy's famous speech at Rice University as US President was in fact delivered as a means to abate criticism and concern about the Moon landing efforts; it is now viewed as a moment of inspiration. “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Many around the world are seizing the latest opportunity – investing in space capabilities, inspiring the next generation, and positioning industries to benefit. The nations that embrace space today will be on the forefront of innovation tomorrow.
About the author
Philip Citowicki
Philip Citowicki is an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Adelaide’s Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources.
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