As the US and China race to the Moon, these loopholes in space law could cause conflict

Nations will need to tread carefully on the Moon in order to avoid conflict.

Gbenga Oduntan, Professor of Law, University of Bradford • conversation
Jan. 3, 2025 • ~8 min

Trump may cancel Nasa’s powerful SLS Moon rocket – here’s what that would mean for Elon Musk and the future of space travel

The Space Launch System is a crucial part of America’s plans to return to the Moon.

Yang Gao, Professor of Robotics, Head of Centre for Robotics Research, King's College London • conversation
Dec. 2, 2024 • ~9 min

The US is now at risk of losing to China in the race to send people back to the Moon’s surface

Nasa’s Moon programme has been hit by delays, while China aims to land by 2030.

Jacco van Loon, Reader in Astrophysics, Keele University • conversation
Oct. 25, 2024 • ~8 min

The Moon had surprisingly recent volcanic activity, samples from Chinese space mission confirm

Lunar volcanism was thought to have stopped two billion years ago.

Lionel Wilson, Emeritus Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University • conversation
Sept. 6, 2024 • ~6 min

The Moon was once covered by an ocean of molten rock, data from India’s space mission suggests

The new study seems to confirm that molten magma covered the Moon’s surface shortly after its formation.

Joshua Snape, Royal Society University Research Fellow, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester • conversation
Aug. 21, 2024 • ~8 min

What lunar caves tell us about the shared origins of the Earth and the Moon

The Moon was formed after a collision ejected rock from the early Earth.

Robin Smith, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Sheffield Hallam University • conversation
July 25, 2024 • ~6 min

Nasa’s science mission spacecraft are at risk from hackers, but a new law could help protect them

New US legislation could force Nasa to include enhanced cybersecurity for all its spacecraft.

Sharon Lemac-Vincere, Senior Teaching Fellow in Space and Cyber, Hunter Centre For Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde • conversation
July 23, 2024 • ~5 min

A cave discovered on the Moon opens up new opportunities for settlement by humans

The caves would protect astronauts from meteorite strikes and cosmic radiation.

Christopher Pattison, Researcher at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth • conversation
July 22, 2024 • ~7 min

Nations realise they need to take risks or lose the race to the Moon

There’s intense competition between the US and China to establish bases on the Moon.

Jacco van Loon, Reader in Astrophysics, Keele University • conversation
June 17, 2024 • ~8 min

Spacesuits need a major upgrade for the next phase of exploration

The next generation of spacesuit needs to do more than simply protect an astronaut from the vacuum of space.

Yang Gao, Professor of Robotics, Head of Centre for Robotics Research, King's College London • conversation
March 6, 2024 • ~7 min

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