Moon Race: U.S. Not Alone in Future Lunar Exploration

Posted on: Apr. 27th, 2006 || Source: space.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

An unprecedented salvo of international probes will soon shoot for the Moon, all equipped to signal that a new era of lunar exploration has begun.

If schedules hold, spacecraft from India, China and Japan will be moonbound before NASA’s own Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter swings into action in 2008. Already on duty, the European Space Agency’s SMART-1 is wrapping up its survey work.

In the past, having the independent wherewithal to toss a satellite into Earth orbit was a form of space status.

That’s passé. Times have changed. Now the Moon is where the action is.

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