The US House of Representatives is recommending, by bipartisan consensus, that devices be placed at Lagrange points between the Earth and the Moon to counter China’s expansionism and a pre-existing Asian power advantage — especially when it comes to the far side of the Moon. From a strategic point of view, the L2 Earth-Moon point is very important for this reason.
It may seem that the two largest parties in the United States do not agree on anything, but both sides appear to agree on China’s economic and space expansion. In fact, a recent report by a bipartisan committee in the US House of Representatives makes recommendations for resetting the economic and technological competition between the United States and China. Ars Technica reports. The report, led by Representatives Mike Gallagher (Republican) and Raja Krishnamurthy (Democrat), addresses Chinese economic “aggression.” Among the nearly 150 recommendations, one very prominent proposal deals with a space strategy that is also interesting from our point of view, and that would encourage the United States to fund programs that contradict China’s ambitions in this area – and these programs include the permanent stationing of devices at Lagrange points.
a Lagrange points (or gravitational points, which are points L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5) in astronomy refers to the five points at which a small body can remain almost motionless compared to two larger bodies orbiting it due to their common gravity. Therefore, the position of the objects placed at these points remains fixed relative to the other two objects, making these points similar to the geosynchronous orbit in terms of their fixed position.
Such points can be found in the Sun-Earth system, but by definition also in the Earth-Moon system. The House report particularly emphasizes the importance of L1 and L2, as they are located close to the Moon. According to space engineer Laura Duffy, the special significance of L2 is that from here you can see the far side of the Moon – that is, the area that China discovered with the Chang’o-4 mission. Therefore, the report expresses concern about China’s advantage in this area and highlights the strategic value of the L1 and L2 Lagrangian points due to their minimal orbital energy requirements – making them ideal stations for various devices in lunar space.
The Lagrange points L4 and L5, located at 60 degrees in front of and behind the Moon, are also strategically important and stable. The report does not provide details about the types of devices that will be placed at Lagrange points, but what can be read from the lines, according to the Ars Technica article, is that they focus on enhancing situational awareness with the help of satellites to track activities. In lunar space – so we can certainly expect such devices.
(Image: Pixabay/PIRO4D)
