Competition with high issues between the United States and China takes place when we speak – but not on earth. As part of the quest for nuclear fusion – the “holy grail” of clean energy – the two countries seek to reach the moon, where large amounts of helium -3 are just below the extraterrestrial surface.
This substance, quite rare on Earth, is able to cool quantum computers at zero almost absolute. But this is not the only reason why the countries want to exploit it. Helium-3 is an element that nuclear molten researchers believe to be a potential fuel for the creation of unlimited energy that would feed the rest of this century and beyond. Consequently, the role of helium-3 is now considered a priority for national security; Countries have established legal obstacles to its transport. The United States has tightened export controls on merger technologies, citing national security problems, while China has accelerated its interior supply chains to reduce dependence on foreign components.
And it is for this reason that the Trump administration aims to return astronauts to the moon – to beat China before reaching their first landing inhabited at the end of this decade. If America reaches the lunar surface first – again – it could create a precedent for extraterrestrial law and establish lunar extraction rights for the United States.
Nuclear fusion – The process that our sun uses to produce heat and light – is an energy source which, if used, could solve many of our pollution problems and provide energy for the centuries to come.
Several companies, including Google and Chevron, help finance and develop nuclear fusion technology.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, “nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavy while freeing massive quantities of energy … Since the theory of nuclear fusion was included in the 1930s, scientists – and more and more engineers – were on a quest to recreate and harass it. And an affordable energy to meet the demand of the world.
“The merger could generate four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than fission (used in nuclear power plants) and almost four million times more energy than burning oil or coal.”
In addition, the energy produced by the merger is free from the radioactive waste associated with the fission. Once used in full capacity on earth, Fusion will provide a clean, safe and practically inexhaustible energy source. It will be able to supply millions of houses and businesses, replacing natural gas, diesel and coal power plants.
In space, merger spaces will considerably reduce travel times with the ability to reach faster and more durable missions in Mars, the Moon and beyond. Fusion will also support long -term space habitats and will allow additional resources of other planets.
If scientists can overcome the immense technical challenges linked to the realization of the nuclear merger, humanity will have taken a new step. Fusion requires temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius – warmer than the sun nucleus – and precise magnetic positioning to support the required reactions. Scientists have made progress, but the continuation of a “net energy gain”, where a fusion reaction produces more energy than it consumes, is still in progress.
The United States and China invest strongly to cross this threshold.
The leadership of mergers could reshape global influence, as is the 20th century space race. A breakthrough in fusion energy would reduce dependence on fossil fuels, move the energy markets and, hope, would improve national security. In space, the merger would allow a nation to dominate exploration, the extraction of resources and even military capacities. For example, fusion -powered space vessels could allow rapid deployment of satellites or infrastructure, offering strategic advantages.
The race for the nuclear merger in the United States-China will redefined the 21st century. The winner, assuming that there will be one, not only will solve a crucial energy problem, but will also shape the landscape of geopolitical exploration and space for the decades to come.
