Welcome to 1969, Russia! The Russian Federal Space Agency recently announced plans for a manned moon mission in 2029. This is another big step in what appears to be Russia re-establishing itself as a global superpower. Russia may have lost the space race when Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, but a new spark of ambition has Russia looking to burst into a new era for their space program. The moon landing is simply a precursor for Russia in their ultimate goal of setting up a lunar station. This would be new ground that even America hasn’t broken yet.
Since the the Cold War a lot has changed when it comes to space exploration. America has turned its sight to Mars, and talks of a colony are often focused on the red planet. China has launched their own probes that have successfully orbited and landed on the moon, because of this it is also assumed that China is planning a manned moon mission. This means that all three superpowers are looking to the stars, and are in at least indirect competition to leave their mark in space.
Russia blazed a trail, and launched the Space Race, but since the seventies it’s been widely considered that they ended in second place. However, in this new millennium they may retake the lead and reveal it was a marathon all along.