Thomas Pesket dreams of conquering the moon: Why is the satellite wanted again?

“Everyone’s dream is to set foot on the moon”. Three days after returning to Earth, French astronaut Thomas Baskett held a press conference on Friday, November 12, from Cologne, Germany. For those returning from a second voyage to the International Space Station (ISS), return to the moon “It will be a thrilling experience for years to come.”.

The Frenchman, who readily agreed to set foot on lunar soil, may have been the first European to do so. But what’s the point of going back there more than 50 years after Apollo 17?

The US space agency NASA has introduced the Artemis project to build a space station called the Moon’s Orbit, Gateway. The European Space Agency (ESA) has contracted with the Americans to build three European aircraft for the new station. If nothing is decided yet, Thomas Baskett may take part in one of his trips.

During a recent visit to Paris by Vice President Kamala Harris, a partnership with France was also mentioned. “President Macron has expressed interest in joining the Artemis program, as chairman of the Space Council. (National Space Council, Editor’s note), I am very interested in this collaboration “, She said specifically.

In return for its help, the ESA could say that a European would, for the first time, land on the moon. “We have a very important project called the European Cargo Lander, which can deposit up to 1.8 tons of goods on the lunar surface. In return we will have Europeans on one of the first landings.”, Didier Schmidt, Head of ESA Research Programs, summarizes TF1’s microphone.

In detail, several missions are already planned: Artemis 1, which will test a new heavy rocket without humans; Artemis 2 will carry astronauts around the moon. For now, Artemis 3 only aims to send astronauts to the lunar surface.

The astronauts selected for Artemis 3 will be involved in collecting samples, thus understanding planetary processes and the origin of volatile matter from the Moon’s poles. The impact of radiation on astronauts will be explored in anticipation of longer space missions in the future.

In the long run, scientific research will be aimed at studying lunar geography, installing tools to collect data and placing convenient transportation devices to explore the lesser known sides of the satellite. But above all the goal is to create a perennial lunar base where the Earth’s satellite can become an advanced base, a position to refuel before reaching the ultimate goal: the red planet, Mars.