The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has utilized the mythological figure "Chang'e" as a political propaganda tool, much to her discontent! The CCP's "great power rise" initiative allows for "success only, no failure," which places significant political pressure on frontline scientists. (People News/AI-generated image)
[People News] The highly anticipated "Chang'e 7" lunar exploration mission suddenly hit the brakes just before launch! The spacecraft and Long March 5 rocket had already been transported to the Wenchang launch site in Hainan, and everything was in place. However, on the 23rd, officials abruptly announced that they were "not satisfied with the launch conditions," resulting in the cancellation of this year's scheduled launch window. The authorities did not specify which aspect encountered problems.
As reported by CNN, Chang'e 7 was originally slated to launch as early as the night of the 23rd or the morning of the 24th, but the manned space engineering office unexpectedly called off the launch. The CCP stressed that this decision was made for reasons of "caution, safety, and ensuring success." Reuters further noted that the Chinese authorities have yet to announce a new launch date.
The public's interest is particularly piqued because this is not just any lunar mission; Chang'e 7 is specifically targeting the "South Pole of the Moon"! It carries an orbiter, lander, lunar rover, and even a hopping detector, all designed to search for "water ice" in the permanently shadowed regions that never receive sunlight. This water ice is vital, as it not only provides drinking water for future astronauts but can also be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.
The Chinese Communist Party aims to send astronauts to the moon before 2030, with Chang'e 7 acting as a forward base. At the same time, the United States' Artemis program is also targeting the lunar polar regions. It can be said that whoever secures water ice first will gain a significant advantage in the new round of Sino-American space competition.
Regarding the reason for the mission's cancellation, the official statement only indicated that 'conditions were not met.' However, the Thai Astronomical Research Institute, which was involved in the development of the instruments, suggested that the developing tropical storm 'Zitan' in the South China Sea may have disrupted the plans. Furthermore, the lunar south pole mission has extremely strict lighting requirements, and if a few days are missed, the next launch window must be awaited. This is merely the perspective from Thailand, and the Chinese Communist Party has yet to confirm this information.
The announcement of this 'emergency halt' has sparked considerable discussion on Chinese social media. Most netizens are quite rational, expressing that 'it's better to call it off than to launch recklessly.' However, many remain skeptical, especially since the mission was already on the launch pad before being retracted and has now been postponed until next year. Could it be that serious hardware or software issues were detected during the final checks? Some even recalled the failure of the Long March 7 rocket launch two weeks ago, speculating that the authorities might be conducting a thorough inspection and are unwilling to take any risks.
Western aerospace media outlet Ars Technica analyzed that, in addition to the typhoon affecting the weather, the recent anomalies in the Long March 7 launch indeed created pressure.
Western experts believe that China's decision to 'prefer to forgo this year's window rather than risk a failure' reflects their extremely high political demands for this critical mission, which is characterized by the mantra 'success is the only option, failure is not allowed.'
In reality, scientific experiments are inherently allowed to fail, and often depend on failure to gather data and experience. However, within the framework of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), everything is intertwined with politics. When pure space exploration becomes indefinitely linked to 'grand narratives' and the 'institutional superiority' of a powerful nation, its nature shifts from a 'technical issue' to a 'political consideration.' Consequently, failure is no longer viewed as a technical problem but rather as a political incident that 'discredits the country' and 'undermines the propaganda narrative.'
With the expectation that 'failure equals guilt,' the foremost principle for experts and engineers shifts from 'how to promote innovation' to 'how to demonstrate that one is not at fault.' Delays in launches, repeated reviews, and even indefinite postponements have become the most compliant and safest strategies for self-preservation within the system, necessitating 'emergency brake' decisions.
By turning scientific missions into rigid indicators of political propaganda, it may seem that the entire nation is mobilized for significant projects. However, this reality imposes unbearable political risks on every frontline researcher. In such an environment, delays are not merely a means of self-protection; they also reflect a helpless resistance of the technical system to political pressures.
(First published in People News)
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